Tyumen Skiers Survive Avalanche at Georgian Resort

Extreme sports enthusiasts from Tyumen were caught in an avalanche in Georgia. It happened during their attempt to ski down the mountain, bypassing the trails at the ski resort. The Russians« action frightened witnesses: they filmed video of tons of snow falling on the athletes and commented very emotionally on everything that was happening.

We managed to find out the details of this incident. It turned out that it happened on January 19. The avalanche came down near the peak of Tetnuldi in the Georgian region of Upper Svaneti. However, none of the Tyumen residents were injured.

The participants of the extreme ride themselves posted a video online, where they explain in detail how they managed to save themselves.

These Tyumen residents, as it turned out, are experienced freeriders — snowboarders who ride on natural terrain. Such athletes prepare for avalanches: they take necessary rescue equipment and radios to contact rescuers in case of danger.

«We have a team of experienced riders. All with avalanche equipment, with radios. The slope was loaded, and if we hadn»t triggered it, it would have come down on the next ones,« one of the participants of this descent told a 72.RU journalist. »The slope is away from the common trails, so this avalanche posed no danger to anyone. And that there was no one below us, we made sure in advance.«

The Tyumen resident admitted that he and his comrades handled the situation by the book. They skied down one by one, so some athletes slipped past the snow avalanche, while the other three rode directly on the avalanche.

«But for such a risk, we have enough experience and skills. Nature, of course, pays little heed to our experience. The avalanche was large and dangerous, but everything went well. Everyone is alive and well, with no injuries,» he says.

For the local authorities, freeriders are not rule-breakers. This activity is quite popular in this area.

However, athletes do not always manage to avoid serious consequences from avalanches. Not long ago, our colleagues from SOCHI1.RU told how a 10-year-old girl ended up in a snow trap when she tried to ski down the mountain with her father. They were buried by an avalanche. The man was able to get out from under the snow on his own, but the child had to be urgently rescued by emergency services. They had only 7 minutes to pull out the girl. Otherwise, she could have suffocated.