Earlier in the week, professional skier, Elyse Saugstad, was enjoying a back country ski outing with two other skiers near Stevens Pass in Washington state when an avalanche swept them down the mountain. Saugstad immediately deployed her airbag that was in her backpack, which saved her life while three others died in the avalanche.
Back country skiing risk management, includes use of equipment such as avalanche airbags, which allow a person to avoid burial by an avalanche by forcing the person to the surface.