On a snowy Saturday last year, Dalton Anderson was having a great time. He was skiing with his friends Payton Weber and Wyatt Baird. Suddenly, the snow around them began to slide (滑落) . It was an avalanche (雪崩) !
"A lot of snow came down, "Dalton, 13, said later. The snow crashed into Dalton and pushed him around. Payton's body was almost under the snow. He could breathe but couldn't move. Wyatt's head was below two feet of the snow and one of his feet was above the snow.
Only Dalton was above the snow. He learned about avalanches from a TV show, so he knew that there was no time to go for help. Wyatt could die in minutes.
By using his hands, Dalton made Payton free first. Payton had a cellphone. He called 911, and the two boys made Wyatt out.
The boys were smart and lucky. Many people who were in avalanches died. Avalanches happen on mountainsides. In about five seconds, an avalanche can reach nearly 100 miles per hour. Nobody can run or ski that fast. It's almost impossible to get out of the way.
An avalanche collects snow as it travels. A large one can grow to 10, 000 tons of snow. So much snow will make everything, including trees, houses and of course, people fall in its path as it races downhill.
