Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

California Snowboarder Describes Being Hit by 'Tsunami' of Snow During Avalanche Scare

California Snowboarder Describes Being Hit by 'Tsunami' of Snow During Avalanche Scare
Wochit News/YouTube

Evan and Kahlynn Huck experienced every snowboarder's worst nightmare and came out on the other side alive. The San Francisco natives were carving the slopes at Squaw Valley Ski Resort near Lake Tahoe, California when they heard a shout behind them. The Hucks looked back just in time to see themselves overtaken by an 8-foot wall of snow. Before they could react, the couple was completely buried. If he weren't so lucky, that might have been the end... fortunately, however, someone managed to spot Evan's snowboard peeking out of the snow and nearby skiers were able to dig him out!


​At first, Evan was conscious beneath the avalanche. In his words:

I was conscious for about 45 seconds while I was under the snow at first, then I kind of ran out of oxygen and passed out.

Forunately, Kahlynn was able to dig her way out. But her ordeal was far from over:

I was inconsolable, I was hysterical. I was wondering if that was it and my husband was gone

Evan and Kahlynn both feel incredibly lucky, and told local news crews they have a "new lease on life."

Skier Joe Breault was among the skiers that helped dig Evan out of the snow before he died of suffocation. He described the moment Evan regained consciousness:

...he opened his eyes and looked right at me and said, 'Where's my wife?'

Huck and others nearby estimate he was under the snow for 5-6 minutes.

The average human can go around 5-10 minutes without suffering any major harm (aside from possibly passing out). Another few minutes, however, and Evan may have suffered permanent brain damage. Another few minutes after that, and he might have died. It's a good thing there were many sharp-eyed heroes on hand to quickly track him down.

Twitter was incredibly relieved everyone made if off the mountain ok!

The avalanche was a result of a blizzard which pummeled the Sierra Nevada Mountain range with winds of up to 150 miles per hour for several days. Though it seemed the worst of the storm had passed, it had left behind 7 feet of newly fallen, unstable snow - a natural disaster waiting to happen.

Two others were buried in the same avalanche as the Hucks and taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.

Sadly, two other snowboarders in the area were killed this weekend by the blizzard weather conditions. On Friday, March 2, the body of Wenyu Zhang, 42, was recovered on the slopes of Squaw Valley, having "died during the severe weather." At China Peak Ski Resort, Blake Smith, 36, fell headfirst into deep snow (a result of the increased precipitation), and suffocated before he could be helped out.

The nearby Mammoth Ski Resort also suffered an avalanche on the morning of March 3. Fortunately, only 3 were partially buried, and all managed to dig themselves out of the snow. With a little less luck, however, many of these experiences could have turned out a lot worse. After a large snowfall, especially one created by a blizzard, perhaps staying off the slopes for several days is the best course of action. Better to lose a ski trip than your life!

More from News

Lorne Michaels
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

Lorne Michaels Just Explained The Thinking Behind His Big 'Saturday Night Live' Cast Shakeup

Saturday Night Live turned 50 last year and a lot of former cast members and major celebrities joined in the season long celebration, but it's a new year and it's time to get back to business.

Which, with SNL, usually means some cast changes—out with the old (and sometimes not so old) and in with the new. Show creator and producer Lorne Michaels recently announced SNL would return on October 4 with a literal handful—five—cast changes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kari Lake; Charlie Kirk
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Kari Lake Slammed After Warning Parents Not To Send Their Kids To College After Charlie Kirk Murder

Speaking during a memorial service for far-right activist Charlie Kirk at the Kennedy Center, failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake—now the Trump administration's Senior Advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media—called U.S. colleges “indoctrination camps” and urged parents not to send their children.

Lake ignored the fact that Kirk was killed while speaking at a college, in this case Utah Valley University (UVU), the largest university by enrollment in Utah.

Keep ReadingShow less
JD Vance; Charlie Kirk
Real America's Voice

Vance Claims Kirk Never Insulted Black Women's 'Brain Processing Power'—And Here Come The Receipts

Vice President JD Vance served as host of the late far-right activist Charlie Kirk's podcast this week and was called out after claiming Kirk "never uttered" words about the "brain processing power" of Black women—even though Kirk said as much in 2023.

Vance made the claim after Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah—a Black woman—said she was dismissed from the paper following social media posts on gun control and race after Kirk’s assassination.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
Fox News

Trump Swiftly Fact-Checked After Making Bonkers Claim About How Many Americans Died From Drugs Last Year

President Donald Trump was criticized after attempting to justify the bombing of a suspected Venezuelan drug boat by asserting that 300 million people died from drugs last year.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump was asked about the order he gave earlier this month to destroy a boat he suspected of transporting drugs off the coast of Venezuela, rather than simply intercepting it. All 11 people on board the boat were killed.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman's hand hold up a pink paper constructed heart that is on fire.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

People Reveal The Pettiest Reasons They Stopped Hooking Up With Someone

Sex is a powerful weapon and a natural part of life.

But it can bamboozle and surprise you.

Keep ReadingShow less