In May 2012, Seattle resident Nikolai Popov was backcountry skiing on Decker Mountain, near Whistler, British Columbia.
Skiing alone, Mr. Popov knew to watch for crevasses, and tried to locate them with his pole.
"I saw that there was a little crack and started probing with a pole to see where the crevasse is," . "Just as I was doing that, the whole thing collapsed under me and I found myself in a very nasty hole. It was quite deep."
Popov fell into a 164-foot deep crevasse. Unhurt, he waited two hours before rescuers arrived. An observant skier who was in front of Popov noticed he wasn't following, and skied to where he could alert a rescue team.
Popov was pulled out of the crevasse by a helicopter.
