Avalanche in Caspase: He approaches death under the eyes of his lover

A 35-year-old skier has trouble believing he’s alive after being swept away by a violent avalanche in Gaspe on Saturday, with his girlfriend seen fighting for her life in the distance.

• Read more: Avalanches in British Columbia: Here’s how to avoid the worst

“When the avalanche hit me in the back, I couldn’t believe it. I soared into the air! I am sure to die there.” Register Bruno Astigui, less than 24 hours after the disaster.

He and his girlfriend, Andrean Mori, decided to end their holiday in Caspé by skiing the slopes of Mont Albert on Saturday. However, the couple were far from imagining that they would find themselves at death’s door for a reason An avalanche occurred on this mountain around 3 pm.

“I was about to go down,” explains the skier. “I turned around and saw an amazing big cloud of snow. It was like something from the movies. I heard a loud noise. I heard my girlfriend scream that it was an avalanche, and it was already everywhere above me.

Taken by surprise

Bruno Astigui says he was very lucky not to be buried in the avalanche.

Like a surfer on a wave, the athlete was carried away by the onset of snow that broke off the mountain.

“My girlfriend was safely on the mountain with a group of skiers and she saw it all. I must have descended 300 to 500 meters. She was obsessed. This lasted for a couple of minutes. I was sure it was over for me,” the skier admits.

He was rescued by a rider along with two other skiers who were injured during the event. According to Sergeant Stéphane Tremblay of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), no one is currently missing. So there will be “more fear than harm” in relation to this event.

“I have bruises on both thighs. My left arm is completely cut. My chest and back hurt. There is difficulty in lifting the arm. But at the hospital, they told us it was a miracle,” Bruno Astigui rejoices.

Not their first time

Quebecer notes that he is a regular at Mont Albert. He and his girlfriend go there every year without any worries.

The Avalanche Quebec Organization and the Association of Quebec Search and Rescue Volunteers (AQBRS) also lent a hand at the scene of the disaster this weekend.

“Because of spring break, there is very high mountain traffic and low index [d’avalanche] Alpine, which was in progress a few days ago, may confuse some of them. Be careful,” Avalanche Quebec warned on its Facebook page on Sunday.

The organization added that there was a second avalanche on Sunday.

“Two people will have ended their fall above the deposit and without injury. For now, we have no information or pictures, but we will return to the scene to document”, we can read in their press release.

Bruno Astigui assures that he was informed of the dangers before he went skiing in Caspési Park on Saturday.

“Yes, I could have been more alert. I will be more wary of Mother Nature in the future. I won’t stop doing it Snow, but Avalanche really changed me. I see myself as a survivor and I hope our story will bring awareness to others,” she says.