A woman who escaped with her life after being buried in an avalanche has spoken of the terrifying ordeal after falling 200 feet down a mountain near Palisades Tahoe in California on Wednesday.
Janet He and Joseph Lu had skied down one of the steepest expert runs – KT22 – but the pair wanted to be among the first in the snow as the slopes had just opened for the season.
Suddenly, the avalanche came out of nowhere and sent Janet plummeting down the mountain, quickly burying her under several feet of thick snow.
“The snow was already moving my feet, dragging me along and sweeping me off the mountain,” Janet said, noting she couldn’t breathe.
“Am I going to die here?” She wondered.
Janet He (left) spoke about her harrowing experience surviving an avalanche in Palisades Tahoe, California, on Wednesday after being buried in snow
The footage captured the dramatic moment rescuers desperately tried to save Janet He, who was trapped under a massive avalanche in Palisades Tahoe
Dozens of people could be seen on the slopes helping to get Janet to safety
After Janet was freed from the snow, she took a photo with the skier who saved her life
“I couldn't pull myself up because the snow was so heavy on me,” Janet told CBS News. “I was buried, my face buried in the snow.” I was lucky I had the face mask, I had some air in the face mask.
'I [told] I need to calm down, don't panic. “When I panic, I use more air,” Janet said.
The avalanche thundered through a section of expert slopes at a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe as a powerful storm packed with snow and gusty winds moved across the region, authorities said.
The avalanche occurred around 9:30 a.m., prompting Palisades Tahoe to close while search crews combed the area beneath the K-22 lift, which had opened 30 minutes earlier for the first time this season.
It offers “black diamond” slopes for experienced skiers and snowboarders.
Janet's husband managed to stay on the surface when the avalanche occurred.
“I couldn’t pull myself up because the snow was so heavy on me,” Janet said. “I was buried, my face buried in the snow.” “I was lucky I had the face mask, I had some air in the mask.”
Panicked skiers were seen searching for Janet He, who had been swept 200 feet down the mountain and buried under snow
“The avalanche happened right behind me – and I don't see it.” I scream and scream. When I realized what could happen, it really came as a shock to me. “I was frantically swinging my ski pole all over the place and screaming her name,” Joseph Lu said.
While Janet was still buried deep in the snow, she heard voices from above and called for help. Her screams were answered by another skier who helped dig her out.
“He says, ‘Don’t worry, I’ve got you,’” Janet said. “I think that's the best thing I've ever heard in my life.” I survived. I could walk. It's okay, I can go downstairs.'
Incredibly, the couple escaped unharmed and walked down the mountain unscathed. Only days later do they realize how close they both were to death.
Still, the experience hasn't stopped her from skiing and plans to hit the slopes again next week.
“The risk is inherent,” Joseph explained. 'We all know. “We just have to respect the mountain and respect the risks associated with it.”
“You realize how valuable time and life are,” he added.
The red circle on this resort map marks the location of Wednesday morning's avalanche
San Francisco resident Kenneth Kidd, 66, has been identified as the fatal victim of Wednesday's avalanche, which also injured three Australian skiers.
One person suffered a lower leg injury and two others were treated for unspecified injuries and released, officials said.
The death was the first avalanche accident in the U.S. this season, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which monitors incidents across the country.
Palisades, site of the 1960 Winter Olympics, is located on the west side of Lake Tahoe, about 40 miles from Reno, Nevada.
At the time of the avalanche, winds were between 31 and 38 miles per hour at the Palisades Resort summit (8,000 feet).
Dan Lavely, 67, of Reno is a season pass holder at Palisades and skied primarily at Alpine Meadows on Monday, when there was very little snow and the KT-22 lift was closed.
The KT-22 track next to the lift hosted the giant slalom during the 1960 Olympics, he said.
“Really good skiers love it because it’s really steep,” he said. “I remember skiing there when I was really young. I fell over and slid about two-thirds of the way down the mountain. There was no way to stop because it's just so steep.'
The ski resort, which hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics, covers more than 6,000 skiable acres and averages 450 inches of snowfall each season
The death was the first avalanche accident in the U.S. this season, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which monitors incidents across the country
A 2020 avalanche in Alpine Meadows killed one skier and seriously injured another a day after a severe storm. Another avalanche in March 1982 killed seven people at the resort, including several employees.
According to the Placer County Sheriff's Office, the avalanche spread 450 feet long and 10 feet deep.
“The avalanche caused one death and one injury.” “No other missing people were reported,” it said.
According to the ski area, three other skiers suffered life-threatening injuries and were released after initial treatment. Among them was one person who suffered a lower leg injury.
Two other people were struck by the slide but were able to be helped by other guests, resort officials said.
Weather forecaster Mark Sponsler, who was at the resort, said “several” people were buried by the avalanche, which occurred just minutes after the KT-22 slope opened for the first time this winter.
He and his wife arrived at Palisades Ski Resort in Olympic Valley on Wednesday morning.
“Apparently the first group of skiers to go up the lift descended into the bowl beneath the lift, triggering a massive avalanche that spanned the entire width of the bowl,” he wrote on Instagram.