A Utah snowmobiling trip nearly turned fatal when an avalanche buried Hunter Hansen in Franklin Basin near the Idaho border. His younger brother, Braeden Hansen, saved him with swift action.
“I saw his gloves poking out,” Braeden recalled, adding, “by the time I got to him, his head was 2 feet under the snow.”
The avalanche struck at 8,400 feet in Logan Canyon, an area known for its weak snow layers, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. The brothers were climbing to a higher meadow when the snow gave way.
Braeden, ahead of Hunter, saw the avalanche form and watched as his brother was swept away. He quickly activated a beacon, locating Hunter 150 yards downhill.
“I cleared the snow from his head and got his helmet off so he could breathe,” Braeden said.
Hunter had been filming when he saw the avalanche. “It washed me down— the most violent thing I’ve ever felt,” he said. Buried in compacted snow, he was immobile and struggling to breathe.
Hunter’s radio allowed him to hear his brother and father searching. Relief came when Braeden announced, “I found him.”
Hunter, who has a wife and daughter, called his survival a “Christmas miracle.” He sustained bruises and may have a leg fracture.
The brothers always carry avalanche safety gear, including beacons, shovels, and airbag devices.
“It can happen at any moment,” Braeden said.
Hunter expressed gratitude for his brother’s quick thinking. “You hear so many tragic stories. I feel very blessed and lucky.”
An average of 27 people die in avalanches annually in the U.S., with Utah ranking fourth in fatalities since 1951, per the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
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