Skiing has always been a big part of Francis Zuber’s life.
The 28-year-old photographer is always in search of new places to explore and ski on. Just recently, he decided to ski along Mount Baker in Washington, and his decision to be there could not be at a more perfect time.
On the day he was skiing down the mountain with a headcam on, he noticed something sticking out of the snow. It was a snowboard.
Fearing the worst, Francis immediately went near the snowboard to check the situation out.
When he came near, he confirmed that the thing poking out of the snow is indeed a snowboard. These things don’t just show up on the snowy mountain which means someone who owns the board is nearby.
As it turned out, the place where he found the snowboard is a tree well, and it is most likely that the person owning the board has fallen in it. This means trouble, and so, he immediately sprung into action.
Francis dug and dug forcefully with his hands to try and locate the person underneath.
The photographer clawed on the powdery snow and did not stop until, finally, he found a portion of the person’s face. He was afraid that he was too late and that the man was underneath the snow for far too long to survive.
Francis remained calm and dug as fast and as strongly as he could. He wanted to clear a small air pocket so the person can breathe properly while he dug the surrounding snow.
The well where the man fell was not shallow at all.
Francis was glad to clear a small air pocket which helped the man tremendously. Another good thing was that the 28-year-old photographer is also equipped with the tools needed to clear the snow so he could extract the man from beneath it.
He immediately pulled out his shovel and dug around the area, and moments later, he became successful in saving the man’s life from danger. His friends were also skiing that day and responded to his call through their radio.
Francis was glad that he was able to save the man, but it was something he did not want to happen again.
He would surely do his best to save another if he were in that situation again. But, Francis was wishing sincerely that this did not have to happen again in the future.
The person he saved that day is Ian Steger, who unfortunately found himself in a tree well without anyone in sight to help him out. At that moment, all the man could hear was his own breathing and time almost run out for him if not for the brave and quick rescue performed by Francis.
Days after the incident, Ian and Francis met again and skied on Mount Baker together.
He shared a photo of them together on the mountain and wrote on his post that Francis is his “new brother.”
Click the video below to see the heart-pounding rescue for yourself!
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