As one man became buried, the other tried to locate him by using his avalanche rescue transceiver, officials with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) said.

Once crews got to the area, the man, buried in 2 to 3 feet of snow, was spotted in large part due to his avalanche airbag.

An avalanche in Shine Bowl, near Vail Pass, where a snowmobiler was caught and buried on Feb. 17, 2025. When someone is buried in an avalanche, the difference between life and death can be a matter of minutes. On President’s Day, a snowmobiler survived for an hour under the snow of an avalanche he triggered.