“Couldn’t breathe”: Snowboarder buried by avalanche near Almaty rescued alive

Tengrinews.kz – A snowboarder was caught in an avalanche in the mountains near Almaty, outside prepared slopes near the Chimbulachka River, close to the Shymbulak Ski Resort.
According to the resort, two freeriders were skiing beyond the designated area when an avalanche was triggered on an unprepared slope. One of the men was completely buried under the snow and was unable to free himself.
His companion immediately alerted a cable car operator, who passed the information to the operations center. Ski patrol rescuers were dispatched to the scene. The snowboarder was located and dug out alive.
Later, the injured man, who introduced himself as Denis, said he had been snowboarding for about 15 years and had previously ridden off-piste many times. According to him, the avalanche struck suddenly after he had already stopped and was preparing to head back up the slope.
He said it was impossible to move or breathe under the snow and described the incident as a “second birthday.”

“It was so foolish. You can even see people walking somewhere nearby, and then you get covered, you can’t move, and you can’t breathe. Life and death happen right next to each other,” he said.

Following the incident, the “Combi-2” section was temporarily closed for skiing. Rescue services explained that avalanche danger remains high on the slopes and preventive work is ongoing. Access to the mountain area for hikers has not been restricted.













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Публикация от Tengri Almaty (@tengri.almaty)


Rescuers urge riders to monitor avalanche conditions, not ignore warning signs, and carefully assess risks before going beyond designated trails.