Abby Connolly
Can you imagine going on a fun skiing trip only to come face to face with an avalanche?
On December 9th, 2023, a 30-year-old skier, Dominic Torro, was skiing on Mount Washington in New Hampshire. He’s an advanced skier and has skied in various locations around the country, sharing pictures and videos of his adventures online.
That day, Dominic was skiing alongside his friend, Adam, in an area on Mount Washington called Airplane Gully. Everything was going well at first, and Dominic was skiing near a snowpack he thought was stable.
Then, around 11:35 am, Dominic unknowingly triggered an avalanche while he was skiing and was quickly hit with pounds of snow. Can you imagine how terrifying that must’ve been?
Thankfully, Adam and another skier named Kevin, who was skiing nearby, quickly rushed to help Dominic. His leg had sustained a compound fracture, and he was carried about 500 feet down by the snow but managed to protect his head and wasn’t buried.
The rescue mission for Dominic was quite complicated. Officers from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation, US Forest Service Snow Rangers, and the National Guard were all involved in getting him to safety.
The National Guard sent a helicopter to pick up Dominic and fly him to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.
The helicopter was able to access Dominic, thanks to Adam and Kevin, who had the clever idea of shoveling out an area that would make it easier for the paramedics in the helicopter to descend and lift Dominic to the helicopter.
The pair of skiers also helped to stabilize Dominic’s leg by using a tourniquet to stop it from bleeding.
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