<<< Back Joe & Murphy Joe buried alive Met up with Joe Calhoun in the parking lot at Stevens The guy in the car next to mine was loaning him some fat skis and a beeper. I have known Joe for about 10 years although not well. We rode the skyline lift and went into the way back a less skied area just to the north of the chair and officially out of bounds. I had mentioned the forecast was for serious slide hazard. We skied thru some trees till we got to the top of the gully. Then went left thru some trees to a n open steep area We stopped to scope out what was below. I skied down straying on a little ridge sloping down then pulled right into some trees and a safe spot to wait for Joe. After a little while I called to him. No answer. Waited a few moments and called again no answer I remember thinking I had better start hiking back to see if his tracks went out to low to catch my traverse. I called again no answer. It was only 50 yards and barely up hill when I saw the slide debris. I thought oh shit I looked but couldn’t see tracks coming out below the slide debris. I called Joe again no answer. There were no tracks visible from where I was either entering or leaving the slide I walked still on my skis ti the debris and on about 20 feet and called again This time I heard him call Rick over here . I couldn’t see him so I went towards the sound he called again I saw a hole smaller than a gallon bucket with a glove in it I thought mark that spot and start a beeper search but when I got to the glove Joe was still in it and glad I had found him. I dug using my ski tip and quickly got his face and chest exposed. He could talk fine and professed not to be injured. When I stopped digging to cell phone the patrol thinking I might want help you know potential injuries and post slide releases etc. Joe talked me into just keep digging. I got his right arm free then his right leg he still had his skis and pole straps attached I released one binding then dug his other arm out. Then tried to pull him out but not yet dug his other leg to release the binding . Joe wanted me to just pull him out bit I had no purchase in the soft debris. What did work was using my ski across the hole he could grab on and pulled him self out. His skies and poles were still in the hole but in turn we easily got them out I figure Joe was completely buried for 3-5 minutes before I got back to him. He was shaken but physically fine. I was really glad I had stopped at the first safe spot to wait and not used my momentum to ski out the flat.

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