3 miracles: Sledder rescued after being buried in avalanche
Published: February 28, 2007
That’s what Mark Hoffman of Clyde Park says saved the life of his son after the 15-year-old was buried under an avalanche for 20 minutes on Sunday.
The father and son were snowmobiling with friends in the Crazy Mountains. The ride started out like any other for Hoffman, a veteran snowmobiler and owner of Crazy Mountain Motorsports in Clyde Park. The group of five riders headed toward the Rapid Creek drainage 12 miles east of Clyde Park.
‘‘We were aware that there was potential for an avalanche,’’ Hoffman said. ‘‘We did not even plan to ride off-trail.’’
The riders came to a steep slope that had to be climbed to reach a higher plateau and the bowls beyond it. Only Mark, his son Kamron, and their friend Brent Smith could make the climb on their snowmobiles.
Knowing there could be avalanche danger, they decided to ride on a lower slope with an incline of less than 30 degrees, Mark Hoffman said.
With Mark first, Smith second and Kamron third, they followed one another across the slopes below Tuning Hill.
The next thing Mark Hoffman knew, Smith was speeding by him waving. When Mark looked back, he could see a wall of snow coming his way.
‘‘This was the first miracle,’’ Mark Hoffman said. ‘‘If Brent had not looked back, the avalanche would have overtaken us, and all three of us would be dead.’’
The avalanche, which Mark Hoffman estimated as one-half mile wide and one mile long, cut loose hundreds of feet above where they had ridden. As the snow settled, Mark Hoffman looked back and saw no sign of his son.
‘‘I told myself, ’I can’t lose control because I need to save my son’s life,’’’ he said.
Mark Hoffman and Smith raced back up the hill to where Smith had seen Kamron overtaken by the avalanche.
They took out their avalanche transceivers, but were unable to pick up Kamron’s signal.
The two then looked around and spotted Kamron’s blue snowmobile hundreds of yards down the mountainside. Thinking he might be buried under the sled, they started digging around the battered machine, Mark Hoffman said.
There was no sign of Kamron.
With no signal coming to Mark’s transceiver, and knowing time was against them, Mark and Smith went back up the hill for another search.
This is when the second miracle happened, Mark Hoffman said.
He stopped his sled and was searching the mounds of snow on the avalanche field when he looked down and spotted the toe of his son’s boot sticking out of the snow.
Mark Hoffman and Smith cleared the 4 feet to 5 feet of snow piled on top of Kamron. But when they pulled him out and took off his helmet, he wasn’t breathing.
By Mark’s estimate, almost 20 minutes had passed since the slide occurred. Then the third miracle happened: Kamron coughed and started breathing.
Smith then sped down the mountain to contact medical personnel, and when Mark and Kamron Hoffman arrived at the parking lot, an ambulance was waiting. Kamron was checked out onsite and sent home.
‘‘I feel like we had three miracles that happened yesterday, or we would not be here today,’’ Mark said Monday.
Kamron said that when the avalanche hit him, ‘‘I just thought I hit a rock.’’
The teen was still recovering from bumps and bruises on Monday and did not make it to class at Shields Valley High School.
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