A skier slid hundreds of feet and off a 50-foot cliff during an avalanche. He survived

fresh snow on rugged mountain terrain. It's one of nature's most beautiful creations. But in a second, it can turn deadly when someone's buried under the snow in an avalanche, you know, time is of the essence, within just minutes you're going to die of asphyxiation every year, adventure lovers ski snowboard and snowmobile into danger off established trails and unwittingly trigger massive avalanches. There's no way to outrun it. There's no way to get out of its way. It doesn't matter if you're buried just one or two ft under the snow. Unfortunately, you're going to die the same deck. That's why your best chance of recovery comes from your partner to find you and dig you out. Come to Snowbird just outside Salt Lake City to train with Wasatch Backcountry rescue. They're gonna show me how to survive or save someone in my group. Should we ever get caught in an avalanche? If you're going into the background, what is absolutely essential that you have on you. It's the rescue gear that we want to have and make sure that we know how to use. You're going to need an avalanche transceiver. You want to have a probe and then the shovel today, the first thing we did was we dug a snow cave. We put Emily in the snow cave and buried her under the snow to simulate an avalanche victim. And then my job was to find her and dig her out as quickly as possible. The second thing that we did with jim was brought on the transceivers. He turned the beacon from transmit mode to search mode. I've got a signal. It's about 34 m away. It says go up 22 21 This way five. Still straight three to you. Finally get there and then you've got to start probing for this person. What we do is a probe spiral two hands on the probe, moving in a circular pattern and quickly. Now she's under the snow, she's been buried, she's losing her breath. And finally I felt I felt something soft. I got it. I got something that was our victim. Jim got his shovel out and then when he got to shovel out he starts to move the snow. Keep digging, keep going, Nice, thank you.

A Colorado skier survived an avalanche that threw him off a 50-foot cliff and sent him sliding hundreds of feet.Related video above: How to survive an avalancheAnna DeBattiste, public information officer for the Summit County Rescue Group (SCRG), told CNN on Monday that the skier sustained no injuries aside from some slight bruising.DeBattiste said the incident began Saturday when a mother and son went up Loveland Pass, a point on a mountain located about 60 miles west of Denver.The ski chute they were heading to, locally known as Butt Crack, is one that the pair needed to rappel down into.A piece of their gear did not release correctly during rappelling, so they went back Sunday to retrieve it.To get to the gear, the son cut across a steep slope on the ridge, triggering an avalanche. It took him 200 to 300 feet down the mountain, including off a cliff estimated to be 50 feet high, DeBattiste said.This is what is called a terrain trap, according to DeBattiste and experts at avalanche.org — a situation where a gully, trees or a cliff could make the consequences of an avalanche even worse."You can have a transceiver, a shovel, a probe and an avalanche airbag, but if you get caught in a terrain trap then, none of that stuff is going to matter," DeBattiste said.It took the mother about 10 minutes to ski down to her son, finding him stuck waist-deep in snow.DeBattiste says she is unsure who called in the avalanche — whether it was the woman or a witness — but the SCRG crew arrived at the scene. They were joined at the foot of the mountain by Summit County Sheriff's Office, a Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment team, Arapahoe Basin Ski Patrol and Flight for Life Colorado.Ultimately the pair were able to ski out on their own.The two were experienced and knowledgeable local skiers, according to DeBattiste, and the son had an avalanche airbag he was unable to deploy during the tumble.According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), there have been three fatalities in Colorado this season already, two of which were at Loveland Pass."We're (Summit County) known where the snowpack can be tricky and avalanche danger is often high," DeBattiste said.Most avalanches occur on slopes that are between 30 and 45 degrees, which is why, DeBattiste says, it's important for skiers to learn how to evaluate slope angle.And even for those who are experienced, DeBattiste advises, "Don't take anything for granted, even though the avalanche danger is relatively low right now."There are plenty of websites to check the avalanche forecast before going to the slopes.

A Colorado skier that threw him off a 50-foot cliff and sent him sliding hundreds of feet.

Related video above: How to survive an avalanche

Anna DeBattiste, public information officer for the Summit County Rescue Group (SCRG), told CNN on Monday that the skier sustained no injuries aside from some slight bruising.

DeBattiste said the incident began Saturday when a mother and son went up Loveland Pass, a point on a mountain located about 60 miles west of Denver.

The ski chute they were heading to, locally known as Butt Crack, is one that the pair needed to rappel down into.

A did not release correctly during rappelling, so they went back Sunday to retrieve it.

To get to the gear, the son cut across a steep slope on the ridge, triggering an avalanche. It took him 200 to 300 feet down the mountain, including off a cliff estimated to be 50 feet high, DeBattiste said.

This is what is called a terrain trap, according to DeBattiste and — a situation where a gully, trees or a cliff could make the consequences of an avalanche even worse.

"You can have a transceiver, a shovel, a probe and an avalanche airbag, but if you get caught in a terrain trap then, none of that stuff is going to matter," DeBattiste said.

It took the mother about 10 minutes to ski down to her son, finding him .

Highway 6 snaking its way through Loveland Pass in the High Country of Summit County Colorado

Brad McGinley Photography via Getty Images

Loveland Pass, Colorado

DeBattiste says she is unsure who called in the avalanche — whether it was the woman or a witness — but the SCRG crew arrived at the scene. They were joined at the foot of the mountain by Summit County Sheriff's Office, a Colorado Rapid Avalanche Deployment team, Arapahoe Basin Ski Patrol and Flight for Life Colorado.

Ultimately the pair were able to ski out on their own.

The two were experienced and knowledgeable local skiers, according to DeBattiste, and the son had an avalanche airbag he was unable to deploy during the tumble.

(CAIC), there have been three fatalities in Colorado this season already, two of which were at Loveland Pass.

"We're (Summit County) known where the snowpack can be tricky and avalanche danger is often high," DeBattiste said.

Most avalanches occur on slopes that are between 30 and 45 degrees, which is why, DeBattiste says, it's important for skiers to learn how to evaluate slope angle.

And even for those who are experienced, DeBattiste advises, "Don't take anything for granted, even though the avalanche danger is relatively low right now."

There are plenty of before going to the slopes.

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