Pro snowboarder Meesh Hytner is fortunate to be alive after surviving an avalanche recently while riding in the Colorado backcountry, and the accompanying video underscores how effective airbags can be if deployed in a timely manner. Hytner, who had been participating in an unofficial competition, was able to ride atop the substantial slab of cascading snow as if on a raft, thanks to her safety equipment.


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The video, captured in the Snake River Drainage, was provided to Back Country Access in the hope it'd promote avalanche safety and the importance of airbags, which are not used nearly enough by snowboarders and skiers who like to ride virgin backcountry powder, often in high-risk areas.

Hytner, who was able to remain on her back with her feet pointed downhill, told BCA, "I felt like I was riding a mattress down the stairs."