The Daily Mail reports 23-year-old Will Field was skiing down a quiet slope in the French Alps on Tuesday when he saw two legs flailing out of the snow. He reacted quickly and very likely saved the life of the partially buried 19-year-old skier who had hit a stiff patch of snow in a remote area of Les Arcs ski resort and was catapulted out of her skis face-first into heavy cement-like snow.
‘The slope we were on was off the beaten track and not used by the public. I went down the slope and saw legs sticking out from under the snow. She was more than half a metre under the snow and you could see her wriggling her legs to try to get out. But she was completely stuck and could not move. My gut reaction was to just act as quickly as I could. Fortunately I had my safety kit and I shouted over another skier to help out. She could breathe but there’s only so much oxygen under there. The snow was really heavy and it could have ended up being a life and death situation.”
Cheers to Will for saving his friend and we want to take the opportunity to remind the audience to always ski with a partner when the snow is deep. Playful conditions can turn deadly and simply using the buddy system can be lifesaving.