SNOWBIRD - Two teenage boys say they thought they were going to die. Fourteen-year-old Nathan Hunter and his friend, 14-year-old Levi Boggess say they were skiing in-bounds but on the backside of Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort.
The two teens were skiing down a run called Powder Paradise when the snow suddenly gave way.
"Both of us felt our legs getting taken out from under us," Nathan said. "Next thing we know, we're in a ball of snow and we both think we're going to die."
The two boys estimate that they were carried about 100 feet, and buried beneath four or five inches of snow.
"I couldn't see anything," Levi said.
In the moments of darkness, before help arrived, one of the boys admitted that he thought of recent avalanches he had heard about on the news.
"When it's happening to you, you don't think you're in an avalanche," Nathan said. "You don't know what to think."
After just mere seconds, Levi said he was able to lift his head from the snow.
“I started yelling, Nathan.’" Levi said. "Nathan’s head popped up, I could wiggle and get my arms free and start unburying myself."
The two boys said Snowbird ski patrol helped dig the boys out and brought them to safety. Yet, even after it was all said and done, the teens say they will consider wearing avalanche gear even in-bounds after the ordeal.
