Alaska Hiker Miraculously Rescued After Being Buried by Avalanche for Over an Hour

By Kayla Kunkel December 14, 2019 at 12:08am

An Alaska hiker miraculously survived after he said he was completely buried in an avalanche in Chugach State Park for over an hour.

Thankfully another hiker passed by him and was able to dig him out before he suffered from hypothermia.

According to the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center, a solo hiker was hiking on Flattop Mountain in Chugach National Park around 1 p.m. on Dec. 7 when an avalanche occurred.

While it’s still unclear exactly what caused the avalanche, the hiker was buried upside down under 2 to 3 feet of frozen debris.

Almost an hour and a half later, another hiker named Alex Kuprienko passed by the same area and saw two legs sticking out from the freshly fallen debris.

Although the scene seemed grim, the legs sticking out from the snow were still moving.

“Honestly, at first I thought it was a kid playing around in the snow, didn’t think much of it,” Kuprienko told KTUU.

Because there was no one around, however, he decided to take a closer look.

“I went up, and sure enough, there was a guy buried in the snow with his legs sticking up,” he added. “So, he was on his back, face-up, but obviously head-down into the snow.”

Would you know what to do if you saw two legs sticking out from freshly fallen avalanche debris?

Kuprienko quickly reacted, helping dig the victim out.

“The victim was alive, conscious, very cold and hypothermic,” CNFAIC wrote.

“Although the victim’s head was 2-3′ below the debris, head downhill and face up, the debris was made of large blocks that appeared to provide air pockets/space for the victim to breath.”

The hiker-turned-rescuer then called 911 and escorted the victim to the trailhead to receive medical treatment from the Anchorage Fire Department.

The victim later told Kuprienko that he was originally buried completely but was able to use his legs to kick the snow and debris free.

Kuprienko was extremely surprised once he learned how long the hiker had been trapped in the debris.

“Usually after 12 to 15 minutes under the snow, you’re looking for a body,” he told Anchorage Daily News. “When I found out he’d been in there for over an hour, I couldn’t believe it honestly. I thought maybe he was delirious for a while.”

Wendy Wagner, director of CNFAIC, also stressed how miraculous this rescue was.

“It’s unbelievably lucky,” she said. “It’s really rare that someone has a positive outcome after being trapped under the snow for over an hour.”

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