Avalanche survivor thought she would die in snow

A woman who survived a huge avalanche over the weekend told CBS News Monday that she thought she was going to die as she was being pushed down a mountain.

"I definitely had the fear that this was the way my life ended," professional skier Elyse Saugstad told CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker.

Saugstad attributed her survival to a backpack containing an airbag that she deployed once she was caught in the rushing snow.

Three men died in Sunday's avalanche, which hit about a dozen skiers in Washington state.

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Watch Bill Whitaker's interview with Elyse Saugstad on the "CBS Evening News" Monday at 6:30 p.m. ET