Avalanche Rescue

Dramatic Avalanche Rescue

What should you expect from a Rescue class? Getting caught in an avalanche can be violent, gruesome, and heartbreaking. On average, 53% of fully buried victims die (Haegli et al., 2011). The chance of surviving a complete burial decreases significantly after 10 minutes. In North America, the chance of survival in an avalanche is further reduced by the increased incidence of major trauma. In fact, one quarter of avalanche fatalities are due to traumatic injuries, not from asphyxiation (Boyd et al