Update: more video interviews regarding Stevens Pass avalanche tragedy
WINTER SPORTS -- Pro skier pro skier Elyse Saugstad gave a TV interview this morning answering questions about the ABS Avalanche Airbag device she credits with saving her life Sunday in the deadly avalanche that killed three of her companions near Stevens Pass.
- Here is the ABS Avalanche Airbag website.
- See my Monday interview with KHQ-TV regarding the lure of skiing out of bounds as well as video of friends and family remembering the victims of Sunday's avalanche.
If asked the question, I'm sure Saugstad would point out that the airbag would not have helped her if the avalanche had rammed her into a tree or rock. But in this case it helped, and it's worth checking out, investigating, learning, understanding....
The three were skiing in a group of 13 friends that included both local and visiting skiers, according to ESPN Freeskiing editor Megan Michelson, who was among the skiers in the group.
The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center had issued a warning for high avalanche danger for areas above 5,000 feet.
Across the West, there had been 13 avalanche deaths this season as of Feb. 16, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which tracks avalanche deaths in the U.S.
