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Snakend t1_j1rje5p wrote

Reply to comment by ChaoticGiratina in All 10 people feared missing in Austria avalanche found alive | CNN by ybdiel

The problem isnt suffocating, but low body temperatures and being crushed by the snow.

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lineasmg t1_j1rqcuf wrote

Not quite. You have 9 minutes without oxygen before you get irreparable brain damage. Hypoxia will kill you you way faster than the cold will. Getting crushed is a mild concern because the snow is much lighter than you think.

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Snakend t1_j1rt65o wrote

you can breathe in snow.

−107

pidgey77 t1_j1ruw25 wrote

So many avalanche experts in this thread

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pessimistic_platypus t1_j1rxkn4 wrote

Only up to a point; air doesn't move as freely in snow as in, well, air, so you do eventually run out of oxygen if you can't create a sufficiently-large vent to the surface.

This article says that 70% of fully-buried avalanche victims die of oxygen loss within 35 minutes without an air pocket, and after 90 minutes, even air pockets aren't enough (unless they connect to the outside atmosphere).

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pjshaw1995 t1_j1s0etm wrote

yeah but the snow can be so densely packed that your chest cavity literally cannot expand to get air in. source: am a ski patroller.

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kelp_forests t1_j1s4319 wrote

I think everyone is talking past each other and the real answer is if you survive without a life threatening injury, your main issue is oxygen for, then “shortly” afterwards, cold.

Source: ER doctkr with no ski experience, open to corrections.

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Higira t1_j1twr0r wrote

Yeah sounds about right.

Source: some dude on the internet.

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JackRusselTerrorist t1_j1ugbzf wrote

Generally speaking in any collapse/land slide/ avalanche/ etc. your best bet is to be on your hands and knees, to ensure you’ve got a void beneath you that your chest can expand into, and have a little air pocket.

In an avalanche, having your back to a ledge is your best bet.

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1_small_step t1_j1s4azf wrote

In avalanche hardened snow, you run out of oxygen in around half an hour.

About half of all avalanche deaths are by suffocation, the other half is due to trauma. No one dies in an avalanche due to freezing.

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YoudontknowSMIT t1_j1rvbln wrote

Perhaps, but it’s significantly more difficult to breathe after avalanche snow has packed into your entire respiratory tract and filled your lungs 😳

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pessimistic_platypus t1_j1rwu7q wrote

Avalanche snow isn't a fluid; I'm pretty sure it isn't typically going to get forced down your throat, and definitely not into your lungs.

But if the snow is dense enough, you still will run out of air eventually.

According to this study, most people buried in avalanches do die because they run out of air, but it sounds like it's a lot slower than drowning, so there is a better chance for rescue if people get to you soon enough.

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JackRusselTerrorist t1_j1ufs97 wrote

Snow is a great insulator, actually.

In the small space you’ve got to yourself, your body heat can make a pretty comfortable cocoon. It’s actually recommended that if you find yourself stranded in the wilderness in winter, that you make yourself a little snow cave for shelter.

The crush isn’t as much of a concern, because that happens right at the beginning. Once you’re crushed by an avalanche, you’re not doing much more worrying.

The main concern is CO2 levels in your little cavity. Each breath you take makes the aid you’re breathing a bit more toxic.

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