Video: Avalanche survivor's big grin as he's rescued from pile of snow

A lucky skier survived an avalanche at the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area in Colorado, USA.

CBS reports that Anthony Robinson, of Denver, escaped the incident that left him buried to the neck in snow.

Robinson told CBS it was hard not to smile and said: 'I do believe that a lot of luck and something from above kind of said, "Not today."'

CBS Denver reported that officials said it was very fortunate nobody was seriously injured or even killed in the slide.

Robinson said he decided to venture out with a small group for the last run of the day. He asked the guide about potential danger before heading down an untouched run.

'We were about ready to take off and I remember asking, just being in the military, like a safety thing, I said, "Well, what if there's an avalanche?" Maybe I shouldn't have said that, but I said, "What if there's an avalanche?"'

Just a few minutes in, he said the terrain quickly changed.

'You just heard the ground moan, basically, and all the snow under you started to move,' Robinson said. 'It didn't take long for it to start moving faster than I could move.'

He tumbled down to the bottom and ended up covered in snow. Nearby skiers found him and began digging him out. He managed to recover a ski pole that was dangerously close to his head.

'The pole appeared to have landed right by my head. I think it was sticking out of the snow right beside me.'

Robinson said he walked away with a few bumps and bruises but otherwise had not serious injuries.



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