Video Captures the Moment a Man Happens to See an Avalanche Engulf His Brother -- and His Rush to Save Him

Davis and Edwin LaMair, brothers, set out Sunday to take part in an exhilarating back-country ski trip. Little did they know it would almost cost one of them their life -- and that it would all be caught on camera.

The pair was skiing in the same area but on separate slopes around the Vail, Colo., area. Davis had his helmet camera recording as he tackled a slope with two other skiers. At one point, he paused as the mountain posed a tough challenge. But as he sat there, he noticed something in the distance: an avalanche. Then within seconds, terror struck: It wasn't just any avalanche -- it was an avalanche that was engulfing his brother.

Image source: YouTube

Davis points at an avalanche on a neighboring slope and realizes his brother is in the middle of it. (Image source: YouTube)

"Holy sh**!" he says as the realization hits him. "That's Edward and Edwin."

That's when the obstacle that had given him pause became a non-issue and he jumped into action.

"Yo, I'm droppin', I'm droppin'," he can be heard saying, indicating that he was going to ski down the large drop-off in front of him to go rescue his brother.

The video then shows him racing down the mountain and over to the neighboring slope. When he gets there, miraculously, his brother's head is just peaking above the snow. Davis begins frantically digging him out:

Without hesitation, Davis jumps down a steep embankment to go rescue his brother. (Image source: YouTube)

Image source: YouTube

Image source: YouTube

It worked.

“Once I started sliding headfirst down the hill it sunk in that I was in a big avalanche, and this was really happening, and I might die,” Edwin told ABC News. “I was trying to swim as hard as I could to get to the top. I was immensely relieved when I realized that my face was above the surface, and I could breathe.”

According to KMGH-TV, Edwin is lucky to have Davis. Because the avalanche occurred just before dark, the news station quotes an expert as saying, the ski patrol would not have been able to come to their rescue.

Watch the footage below:

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