'I Was Freaking Out': Man's Rescue Caught On Video

VAIL, Colo. (CBS4) - What was a fun day out in the deep powder at Vail Ski Resort for Todd Ermentraut turned into a life-altering experience in a matter of seconds. This story is one of those right-place-at-the-right-time tales.

Ermentraut says he is lucky to be alive. He credits his remarkable rescue to a group of strangers along with the professionals at the Vail Ski Patrol.

It was Nov. 29 in the Blue Sky Basin when Ermentraut went over a log in Earl's Bowl at Vail. He ended up buried deep inside a tree well. The friends he was riding with had already went through the area and didn't realize what had happened until they were too far down the mountain to be able to hike back up.

Ermentraut was alone, and even though he was in-bounds at the ski area, he might as well have been deep in the backcountry because the area where he crashed was on a remote, seldomly-used area.

"Heard my leg snap. It was my femur, and I knew it was pretty serious," Ermentraut told CBS4. "A lot goes through your mind when you're sitting there. I was thinking about my family."

He attempted to call for help on his cellphone; the call didn't go through. He also tried calling his wife; that call also failed.

"I'm kind of glad it didn't go through. I was freaking out, and I don't know what I would have told her (his wife) if she answered," he said.

As he screamed out in pain, seconds seemed like minutes. He kept screaming. He used his gloves to breath into to help from hyperventilating. That is when a group of riders unaware of the emergency unfolding happened to hear the yells for help.

A reporter from Vail Daily, John LaConte, uses his GoPro to report daily snow conditions during the winter. The footage from the GoPro serves as a witness to the goodness of others coming to the rescue.

It also reminds skiers and snowboarders how quickly fun can turn into a dangerous situation.

LaConte, along with with locals Taylor Seaton and Pat Baskins, headed toward the screams for help where they found Ermentraut in the snow.

Seaton, a professional skier, just finished competing at the X Games in Aspen.

"Pat and Taylor tended to Todd while I marked off the area using our gear so ski patrollers could find us easier," LaConte told the Vail Daily. "I tried to just help him with his breathing and telling stories, just getting him to calm down when we showed up," Seaton said.

As they tended to Ermentraut, Vail Ski Patrol was on the way. It was difficult to find him in the dense trees and deep snow where sound doesn't travel far; a recipe to make it hard to find reference points.

What happened next was captured on camera. Ski Patrol arrived, gave Ermentraut pain medication, helped get him loaded into a sled and brought him off the mountain. He went into immediate emergency surgery.

In the weeks since the accident, Ermentraut has gone through painful rehab. He walks with the assistance of a cane.

REUNION

This week, Ermentraut came back to Vail to meet his rescuers, a group he now considers friends and his guardian angels.

CBS4 was the only news crew present for the emotional reunion. Ermentraut's wife baked cookies, and he brought the brews.

Heroes don't always wear uniforms and badges, and Ermentraut says being able to be at home, with his wife and kids is a direct result of these strangers and their actions up there that day.

"Those millennials... they kind of get a bad rap sometimes, but these guys are excellent athletes, excellent human beings," Ermentraut said.

He is vowing to take at least one run before this season is over, even if his physical therapist has reservations.

"It has been a long journey. I'm getting better, making a lot of progress. I'm excited to be here and can't wait to get back up there."