
When Francis Zuber left his house in Bellingham, Wash., March 3 to ski his local mountain, Mt. Baker, it started out like any normal day trip. It was an easy hour and change drive, and he rolled out of the car into some easy warmup laps. But as the day progressed, it became increasingly clear that luck was on his side.
To start, he intended to meet up with a friend, but only made loose plans beyond knowing they were both riding that day. Against all mountain odds, his friend spotted him on his first lap (let's be real, that never happens on a crowded Friday).
As the day progressed, the duo worked their way over to an out-of-bounds territory off Chair 8. Being experienced skiers and avy certified, they were comfortable in the terrain and had the proper safety gear, Francis let his buddy go first and chose to follow his line.
About a minute in-which Francis said was well before the exciting part of the line even-something caught his eye.
I picked a line and I'd only been there a couple of other times, so I was going a little quicker than I would have liked through those tight trees, he recalls. I did a jump and had to sort of bail and reset myself. It's a miracle that I did, because if I had come flying out of those trees, theres no chance that I would have seen a snowboard.
The snowboard happened to be another well-versed Mt. Baker local, Ian Steger, who was the last of his group to ride the sidecountry section. Ian either got clipped by a branch or snagged something, which led to him falling upside-down in a tree well.
I can still see in my minds eye what I saw in that moment, Francis explains. It was just like this very abstract red flash. I thought it could be a couple of things in that split second-one of those lollipops ski patrol puts out or actually somebody standing up next to the tree. I thought, that was weird, so I had to take another look because it was so out of place for being out of bounds.
That's when Francis saw Ian's brightly colored board wiggling a few side steps up from him, and he took action.
It was extremely shocking, going from this moment of euphoria, of skiing deep snow, he remembers. Going from having the time of your life. To all of a sudden, its like, Oh, my God, I have to save this persons life right now. Theres no one else coming that can help. I have to do this now.'
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Francis Zuber (@franciszuber)
--
From their calculations, Ian had been there 5 to 7 minutes. He had started off with an air pocket that slowly collapsed, and he could hear his riding buddies radioing for him but couldn't reach his walkie talkie, and even if he could, Francis said they were a challenging distance away to trek back up, through deep powder, and help. All safe to say, Francis came along at the perfect moment.
Ian's group was probably the first group of the day to make the traverse around a gully and through some trees to ride that specific area, and as the rescue played out, Francis said no one else came by. So yes, Francis had luck on his side but, even more importantly, he and Ian both agreed that they had proper mountain safety training on their side, too (as well as the proper backcountry beacon, shovel and probe kits).
This stuff happens so frequently, and it can be a little hush hush. I think people should be talking more openly about the danger of the sport, Francis says. Everybody should get training if they plan to go in the back country.
Francis said he ultimately decided to post the clip to his Instagram and YouTube to help raise awareness about the importance of proper mountain safety and riding with buddies, especially in tree sections and any out-of-bounds territory.
The intention [was to post the video] to raise awareness around the of danger of tree wells and deep snow and how to stay safe. With the hopes that people see it and sort of reevaluate the protocols. Maybe stop skiing solo in the trees or get some avy training, whatever the case may be.
Luckily Francis had his GoPro (a recent Christmas present from his wife!) recording almost the whole event, so he was able to share the story and raise awareness. But he did joke that as soon as he realized his camera was still rolling, his first instinct was to cut the recording. So he didn't capture the moment Ian reconnected safely with his crew nor the inevitable connection the pair formed after a near-death experience. But that's OK, because theres a happy ending to the story that Ian is okay. He was uninjured and were buddies now.
While Francis appreciates the praise he's received for his heroic actions, he also was quick to point out that there are professional doing this every day-we just don't always have GoPro recordings to share.
I want to shout out the ski patrol and search and rescue crews because they are doing this stuff all the time and certainly not getting nearly enough recognition for it.
We're proud to be in touch with Francis and able to grant a GoPro Award for his Be a HERO mentality. You are a legend, Francis!
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/08/2026
Homecoming Artist Spotlight: Dreion The singer, songwriter, and producer talks about finding his village at Berklee ahead of his Homecoming performance on Sep...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
03/08/2026
SVG's annual TranSPORT conference returns to New York City for a full day of sessions focused on the current state of live-sports-transmission technology. S...
03/08/2026
A five-time Emmy winner, this esports vet has built a production career on live storytelling, audience connection, and meeting viewers wherever they are
The sp...
03/08/2026
Live production in the cloud is a growing trend across the industry and Major Le...
03/08/2026
(L-R) Nyah B., Nala B., Shannon Elizabeth S., Celia K., Olive G., and Nikki B. attend the Q&A for Cookie Queens by Alysa Nahmias, an official selection of the...
03/08/2026
Recreates a 1977 Hohner Clavinet D6
After launching a software recreation of their own electric piano, Rhodes set about capturing another classic instrument...
03/08/2026
A modern solution for an old technique
Peak Tamer is a new standalone application that automatically applies gain automation to keep rogue peaks under cont...
03/08/2026
Plug-in gains object metadata automation export
Sound Particles have just released an update that adds a new Metadata Automation function to their their rec...
03/08/2026
SGL Carbon and X-energy today announced a binding agreement to double SGL's production capacity for medium-grain isotropic graphite ( NBG-18 ), a specialize...
03/08/2026
Glensound will launch the Greater Divine Supernal at PLASA Show 2026, extending its intelligent loudspeaker range for professional studio monitoring and live au...
03/08/2026
How Agua Tinta's Class Project Launched Her Songwriting Career Two years after graduating from Berklee, the songwriter has a Latin Grammy nomination, a So...
03/08/2026
Leiden University's new Campus Spui, located in the heart of The Hague, the diplomatic and administrative centre of the Netherlands, opened in February 2026...
03/08/2026
Bitfocus, the specialist in media control and monitoring, has received a further boost to its plans for continuing growth, particularly in Europe and North Amer...
03/08/2026
Jason Flemyng, Tessa Peake-Jones, Lee Ingleby and Georgia Tennant join the cast ...
03/08/2026
Building on the momentum of a landmark year for soccer in North America, Leagues...
02/08/2026
Classic EQ design goes virtual
Following on from the launch of the 500-series version of their BAX EQ unit, Dangerous Music have now teamed up with modellin...
02/08/2026
The Government's Missing Dimension
This article was originally published on the National Preparedness Commission website on 25 June 2026.
----------------...
01/08/2026
Latest free Vaults instrument released
The Crow Hill Company's Vaults collection offers a continually rotating selection of virtual instruments and samp...
01/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/08/2026
COW Jobs: Lead Generation Representative - Animation Services
Brie Clayton July 31, 2026
0 Comments
Lead Generation Representative - Animation Service...
01/08/2026
Emilie Lowe Shoots Award Winning Short Film Where Dead Things Grow with Blackmag...
01/08/2026
Early Registration Opens for the 2026 SMPTE Media Technology Summit
Brie Clayton July 31, 2026
0 Comments
Initial Program Announced Alongside New Medi...
31/07/2026
With an emphasis on local, the league is looking beyond the initial four teams t...
31/07/2026
The 2026 Sundance Institute Directors Lab fellows in Estes Park, Colorado (Photo by Gabe Rovick)
Dear Friends,
This has been an extraordinary year for our ar...
31/07/2026
Offers 360-degree sound placement in any DAW
Audiocube have just announced the launch of a new plug-in that embeds a complete 3D acoustic environment inside...
31/07/2026
10 new Chinese C-Pop voices introduced
While Sonarworks are best known to many for their room-correction software, their product range also includes an inno...
31/07/2026
Reimagines the vintage BBD sound character
PSPaudioware have now officially launched the new delay plug-in that they were previewing at GearExpo UK. Said to...
31/07/2026
The Savannah Bananas has built its reputation on refusing to play baseball by traditional rules, and the team's production arm Banana Ball TV (BTV) has draf...
31/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/07/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today opened early registration for the 2026 Media Technology Summit (MTS) and announced i...
31/07/2026
Clear-Com announced that Central Christian Church has transformed communication across its live production operations by implementing Clear-Com's LQ Seri...
31/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
31/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the finalists for the IBC2026 Innovation Awards, recognising collaborative projects from around the world that solve real-world challenges and ...