Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
GARDEN CITY, Rich County — A Cache Valley man is breathing a sigh of relief after rescuing his brother from an avalanche on Christmas Eve.
Braeden and Hunter Hansen were snowmobiling in Franklin Basin when they accidentally triggered a slide.
"It was a big eye-opener. A wake-up call," Braeden Hansen said. "It can happen to anyone, and it's a scary situation. So just be prepared."
Braeden Hansen said he and his brother had been snowmobiling in the area through most of the day when the slide triggered. His brother, Hunter Hansen, was about 150 feet up the hill from him.
"(I) notice the snow start to ripple, and I'm like, 'Oh no, it's happened,'" Braeden Hansen said. "Luckily, it didn't keep breaking, and I was able to get to some safety. And right as I turn around, I can see the slide start to hit my brother, and I watch him pull his airbag that inflates and then kind of lose track of him for a while."
Braeden Hansen said he and his brother have a lot of experience in the backcountry, but nothing quite prepares you for something like that. He immediately started following his beacon signal over to his brother.
"As I was about five feet away following my transceiver, I noticed his hand was pointing out, kind of wiggling around," Braeden Hansen said. "You always hear about that and you always practice. But when it's real life, it's like, 'all right, clock's ticking. It's time to get to business.'"
Braeden Hansen was able to dig his brother out safely. Hunter Hansen is back home in southern Idaho. He told NBC News that his brother's efforts could not have come soon enough.
"I told him I was on my last breath, "Hunter Hansen explained. "I tried to hold it in as much as I could. I feel very blessed and lucky to have him, you know, with his quick thinking and hurrying down to me with his sled and his beacon and, you know, shovel me out of there."
