A Utah skier has his helmet to thank after surviving an estimated 800 feet foot slide down the south face of Mount Superior.
FOX13 reports the 30-year-old man set out with two other skiers into Little Cottonwood Canyon on Friday morning. The group had removed their skis and had put on hiking boots when the accident happened. Salt Lake County Search and Rescue responded to the scene and transported the man on a sled before using ropes to lower him off the mountain and transport him to the hospital.
“He was alert, some lacerations and some bruises. No broken bones that we could tell. His helmet did save his life. His helmet was pretty badly damaged in the slide and fall.” -Ryan Clerico, Vice Commander of Salt Lake County Search and Rescue
A LifeFlight helicopter hoisted one of the other skiers off the mountain after he felt unsafe making the descent on his own. The third man skied out on his own. Vice Commander Clerico wants to this incident to stand as a warning that spring skiing can be dangerous and encourages anyone who ventures out to carry an ice axe to assist in self-arrest.
