Plake says he’s “luckiest person in the world” after surviving terrifying avalanche in Nepal that killed his climbing partners

Glen Plake is no stranger to risk; he’s spent a lifetime on the edge as a backcountry skier who has toured the world’s most remote and challenging terrain.

But even Plake was stunned by the terrifying turn of events that occurred at his encampment 20,000 feet up Mount Manaslu in the Himalayas of northern Nepal, where he and his skiing partners were attempting to become the first team to climb and then ski the world’s eighth highest peak without oxygen.

Before they could make the attempt, an avalanche tore through the camp at 22,960 feet early Sunday (Sept. 23), sending Plake tumbling more than 800 feet down the mountain still entangled in his sleeping bag. Although Plake survived, 8 have died and 3 remain missing, including his two climbing partners. Read the first day story.

Since then, Plake has climbed down and shared his experience with the Associated Press and spoken with CNN’s Anderson Cooper.  Watch the video.

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Three die in backcountry avalanche in Washington; pro skier Elyse Saugstad survives thanks to airbag

Elyse Saugstad

UPDATE: Watch video of Elyse Saugstad describing the moments after the avalanche happened. See it here. See what Saugstad has to say about the accident on her website.

ESPN is reporting that noted professional freeskier Elyse Saugstad deployed an airbag during an avalanche on Sunday that may well have saved her life in the incident that killed three other skiers in her party.

The avalanche near Stevens Pass ski area hit just after a group of 13 local and visiting skiers, including ESPN Freeskiing editor Megan Michelson, had begun to ski. Read more about the avalanche.

Saugstad’s survival while using the airbag will add to the discussion about how useful the device is in an avalanche. A recent story by Jason Blevins in the Denver Post discussed the rising use of the devices,  noting that by this fall “six different companies will be offering avalanche air-bag backpacks, up from one a few years ago.” While that appears to be a positive development, the story also notes that airbags are by no means a sure thing to ensure survival. Read more.

You can actually see how the airbag works in this remarkable video (see it below as well) of one being deployed in the Snake River Basin above Montezuma, Colo.  Or read about how this snowmobiler survived using one near Empire, Colo.

Want to learn what makes Saugstad tick? Here’s where to find a video of her skiing and an insightful interview with Outside Magazine.

Here’s why it’s a scary season for avalanches in Colorado

A trainer in an avalanche class digs a hole for an exercise.

The recent high-country snowstorms in Colorado have mostly been good news for those skiing in the state.

But the storms have a downside when it comes to backcountry skiing, because it has ramped up the possibility of avalanches. And the season has already proved fatal, with four deaths caused by avalanches in the state.

As the Greeley Tribune reports: “All that snow comes with a price: Many say a rotten, fragile snowpack — the kind shaped by months of dry, cold weather before winter decided to wake up in mid-January — continues to create the worst avalanche hazard in years.”

Read the entire story to understand what you can do to stay safe.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

Avalanche claims the life of skier Jamie Pierre at Snowbird

Jamie Pierre

The skiing community suffered a loss with the death of Jamie Pierre in an avalanche in Utah. Pierre and a friend were in the south Chute area of Snowbird, which had not opened, when the avalanche happened that took Pierre’s life.

It was hardly a surprise that Pierre would be in harm’s way, given his no-holds-barred approach to skiing that included his then record-setting 2006 drop off a 255-foot cliff at Grand Targhee, Wyo.

Although Pierre’s life had changed much in recent years, a remarkable 2005 story by Skiing executive editor Mike Kessler about Pierre detailed his complicated life of partying, his family, and how ultimately God took a role in his life. Read it here.