How To Survive An Avalanche In Your Car.

A question that recently became very real in my life is, how to survive an avalanche in your car? I was snowboarding in Colorado and an avalanche was triggered while I was in the mountains. I wasn’t near the avalanche location but several roads were closed and traffic getting out of the mountains became insane.

The avalanche occurred on March 3rd in Tenmile Canyon in Summit County, Colorado. Luckily the highway was unaffected by the heavy snow. But what if it had?

If you get caught in an avalanche in you car you should stay in your vehicle, bundle up, and turn off the car.

The avalanche that occurred in CO was filmed and up on Youtube almost immediately. Jalopnik posted the following:

“If you were driving on Interstate 70 near Breckenridge, Colorado yesterday, you might remember that, for a short and terrifying period of time, the world looked like the inside of a bag of powdered sugar donuts as an avalanche careened down a canyon, blanketing the whole area in an impenetrable white cloud of snow. This being modernity, of course it was all caught on video.”

Tips On How To Survive An Avalanche In Your Car

If You See an Avalanche:

Do not attempt to drive through it.
Additional avalanches are likely, STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE
Report it if possible from your location
Try to position your vehicle so that snow removal equipment can get by.

If You Are Caught in an Avalanche:

STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE, someone will come to your aid it is very dangerous outside your vehicle.
Turn off your engine, carbon monoxide can kill you, do not smoke.
Stay warm, put on additional clothing as needed.
Report it from your vehicle if possible.

Source: wsdot.wa.gov

Like reading about cars and snow? Then check out our post on a Ferrari F40 drifting up a snowy mountain in Japan!