Avalanche!

Pro shooter Paul Morrison—Whistler Mountain's staff photographer for 23 years and contributor to Powder, Skier, Freeze, BravoSki, Snowboard and PlanetSnow magazines—tells of his unbelievable experience with an avalanche and Lowepro's Mini Trekker AW in a very remote part of British Columbia. As he was on assignment, an avalanche dragged Paul over a 500-foot, 70-degree rock face and deposited him under hard-packed snow with only his hand showing. Friends located him, uncovered his face and completed his rescue in less than ten minutes. A lucky man. A true survivor.

Four months after this harrowing adventure, a friend offered to attempt a rescue of his gear in exchange for a backcountry flight. Paul agreed—it was worth a try—even as he recuperated with a broken leg. They found Paul's skis, poles and his Mini Trekker AW. To their amazement, the camera gear inside was fully functioning. Paul even grabbed a few shots with the one camera with enough charge to use.

We're glad Paul is here to share the tale and continue his hard work as an adventure-seeking ski photographer. He's used his Mini Trekker AW for more than 30 years and is now keeping up with some of the best free skiers in the world with our Flipside 400 AW.