Terrifying video shows moment Colorado snowmobiler gets trapped in avalanche
The video shows Aidan Croft attempting to climb a steep portion of Hahns Peak, north of Steamboat Springs, and trying to change course when the avalanche occurred.
Snowmobiler details scary moment he was caught in avalanche in Colorado
Aidan Croft was snowmobiling in Colorado when he triggered an avalanche on Feb. 20. Croft said he was stuck in the avalanche for 90 minutes before he was completely freed from the snow.
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – A snowmobiler in Colorado had a close call last week when he became trapped in an avalanche, and the whole terrifying ordeal was caught on video.
Aidan Croft said the incident occurred on Feb. 20, the last day of his yearly vacation to the region. He was out riding the slopes, hoping to reach the peak of a mountain located north of Steamboat Springs.
He said he’d been there before, but the slope was steep, and he didn’t want to try and make it up to the top from where he was located at the time.
This animated image shows the moment Aidan Croft became buried in an avalanche in Colorado on Feb. 20, 2025.
(Life of Aidan via Storyful / FOX Weather)
"I don’t really have intentions of going up it," he told FOX Weather. "I’m thinking I’m being smart, like, I’m not going to go up it, I’m not even going to try and go up it. I’m by myself. There’s no one here to help me."
He said the plan was to scrape the hill on his way back down to the valley. There was a lot of deep snow, and the snowmobile was getting stuck. He gave it some throttle and was sitting in a trench he dug.
That’s when it happened.
"I feel this motion, and I’m looking to the right, and there’s just this giant rush of snow coming right at me," he said. "That was the avalanche."
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This image shows Aidan Croft riding his snowmobile in Colorado before an avalanche on Feb. 20, 2025.
(Life of Aidan via Storyful / FOX Weather)
In the video, which Croft also posted to his YouTube page, you can first hear the sound of the snow cascading down the mountain when he was buried.
"I moved for about 10 seconds," he said. "That’s about how long it lasted. I was just thrown around in there."
Croft said that while he was tumbling down the mountain, he was trying to utilize safety techniques he learned in case he ever found himself caught in an avalanche.
"It’s kind of like a swimming technique just to stay afloat," he said. "Which, I think, honestly helped me. Because after I stopped, it was like a life-changing moment for me. Because, you know, I could have been dead."
Watch: Colorado snowmobiler captures video of moment he’s trapped in avalanche
A snowmobiler in Colorado was recording video and captured the moment he was buried alive by an avalanche that occurred near Steamboat Springs on Feb. 20.
After a few moments, you can hear something even more terrifying in the video.
You can hear Croft gasping for air under the weight of the snow for what seemed like an eternity.
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"I’m kind of looking up. There was snow in my face. I’m covered in snow completely, but I can see daylight," he said. "And I was just like, ‘This is like another chance of life right here.’"
Croft said he had his arm on his chest at the time, so he was able to finally push his way out of the snow.
"It took about a minute and a half to actually get the snow off my head," he said. "You know, so I could breathe. So I was kind of lost on an air supply for about a minute and a half, which felt like forever."
He said he needed to keep calming himself down because "this is how you die."
After about another 10 minutes or so, he was able to dig more of his body from under the snow. When he looked back up the mountain, he saw an ominous sight.
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"All I could see is halfway up is like this 6-foot snow shelf that could literally collapse at any moment," he said. "And if that collapses, that’s going to come right over me. And that’s even more snow. So, that was scary."
Croft said he was able to radio for help, but the group he was with could not reach his location.
Eventually, a group of three people with shovels were able to help him get out.
In total, he said it took him about an hour and a half to be completely free from the snow. When he was completely buried, there was about a foot of snow on top of his head, but the depth was about 3-4 feet from his stomach to his legs.
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That’s why he needed help to get the rest of the way out from under the snow.
While the situation was scary, he said it wouldn’t stop him from getting back out there to continue to do what he loves.
But he has a warning for others who do the same thing.
"Safety is super important, and you can get complacent when you’re riding by yourself," he said. "You get excited, and you keep going and keep going until you get yourself into trouble, you know? That’s why I put the video out there. To spread my experience around so that people don’t make the same mistakes I did."