Personal Narrative: The Snowmobile Incident

Playing in the snow during the winter is most kids favorite thing about winter other than getting toys during the holidays. I know as a kid I enjoyed it and I know the dangers of it but they never crossed my mind as I was having fun. For most nothing ever happens to them wasn't one of those kids. As a kid every winter Zack and I would always play in the snow at my Mom’s, Dad’s, Nan’s, or anywhere else.

POW! At what seems like 100 miles per hour it hits you! The cold snow running down your back, chills form on your arm. Then, another one! Quickly you dodge it, then grab your own and send it flying back. Wow, you think, snowball fights are extreme. This snowball fight was the best I ever had. We were throwing snowballs across the street, hitting houses and laughing as we do so.

Beep! Beep! Beep! I wake up to an alarm screaming in my ear. I smack the alarm to shut the yelling off. It was a January day, in the middle of the cold, brutal winter. I finally got up after sitting in bed for what felt like hours, and looked outside like I do every morning. I noticed that there was no sign of grass to be seen. All that could be seen was white, frozen blanket of thick snow. I started to get ready for the school day and I just prayed that school was going to be canceled. As soon as I was fully ready I stepped outside and my food sunk down a foot and a half below the snow! I could not believe it that school was still open. As soon as I got to my car that was completely covered in snow, my mother comes out and yells that school was closed. I felt a huge wave as release and I ran back inside and went right back to sleep.

When people are on winter break, most want to go out and play in the snow, but who knew that the snow could be one's worst nightmare when stubbornness comes into play. Most people go out on an enjoyable snow-white day to sled down snowy hills and fling semi-hard snowballs at each other. No one would think that maybe sledding down the snowy hills could be so dangerous when they are having fun, and trying to show off. I certainly did not think that it was dangerous, but boy was I so wrong. Normally being a Los Angeles girl, going up to Big Bear is such an amazing experience, because down in the Los Angeles region it does not snow at all. However, I was not ready to face what was slowly going to change me in the mountains of California.

If I was trapped in a snow globe I would play in the snow. I would try to make the best of it. Then, I would try to figure out how to get out. I would bang on the glass. Maybe if I scream the glass would break. No, that wouldn't work I can't scream loud enough. But, if I dig alot I might find a way. Seven hours later……. There is no use. I’m kinda getting hungry and I don't see any food. As I’m trying to get out I see this huge person picks up the globe and starts shaking. I hold onto the tree for dear life while he is shaking the globe. Finally he puts it down. That's the story of when I got stuck in a snow

Another effective technique the author uses is referencing examples of inherent dangers in regard to avalanches. The author references three cases in which avalanches occurred on ski areas to show how avalanches themselves are unpreventable from occurring. This helps benefit the argument since it emphasizes the reality of ski patrollers being helpless when avalanches occur and therefore something that is unavoidable.

Because the geography of which the Oregon ran through was rough and brutal, it had a large impact on the travellers. The snow covered trails made it difficult to travel on the trail, especially in the Rocky Mountains. Going through snowstorms in the mountains was considered certain death in some areas. “there would be large snow storms, this gave a large threat of frostbite

The family's independent spirit, and courage was a vital part of surviving in the harsh conditions they encountered. In 1881, there was a terrible blizzard. The snow was so high that it covered the fence posts. Father tied a rope around his waist and the porch post to tend the animals in a nearby shed, so that he would not get lost in the blizzard. However, many neighbors froze to death right outside their own front doors. During the storm, the wind blew the door of the sod house open. The younger children got in the trundle bed to keep warm, while the parents and older children shoveled snow out of the house for the rest of the day, so that they could shut the

A violent gust of wind laughed as the two girls were trying to reach the conclusion of the hike. The bitter mountain scorned at Lori and Kayla, unleashing its wrath by letting rocks fall keeping the girls on their toes. Lori and Kayla felt as though the entire world was against them. They were so sure that they picked the correct path, but after walking another three miles, the pathway was slowly disappearing from under their feet and they had no idea where they were.“What are we going to do Kayla! We are completely lost, and there it is impossible to get down the way we came. I have no idea where we came from!” Lori exclaimed. Kayla stood there silent in complete shock about what their current situation was. Kayla thought to herself, “I am supposed to be the strong one. But I don't think I can keep this up. I don’t have a plan. What if we never make it off this mountain? It will be my

Unlike my experience, however, her experience was almost deadly. McMasters described the event of a car crash that almost killed her. “The sun was bright and the sky blue, but as I rounded a corner between a pasture and bog, I came upon a section of road where snow had drifted over, hiding a slick scrim of ice on the blacktop. I felt the back tires go out first, a horse losing her hind legs. I turned the steering wheel, thought I’d come out of it, but then the car spun and I was backwards until the driver’s side hit the bank of snow on the edge of the road and I felt the car go over.” (58) I couldn’t help see the irony that McMasters’s connection of nature had also nearly killed her. She did recover physically from the accident, but the crash injured her in other ways which made her fearful of driving again for several months. Also due to a severe concussion, many of her memories just prior to the crash were lost, including her son’s first

Lightning in the middle of a blizzard? Dr. Sydney Blake has read about it, but this is the first time in all her life she’s experienced it. Has her truck been struck? Blinded by the flash, she slams on the brakes and dives from the driver’s seat, right into a snow drift.

14,000 feet in elevation, I was about to hike up, Matterhorn, one of the highest peaks in the world, and the air was a brisk -7 ℉. A pall fell over the previously greyish-blue sky of the Swiss Alps as a violent snowstorm was forming in the distance. There was a light blue cover of snow forming over the base of Matterhorn Mountain in the Swiss Alps. The guide at the base recommended we put our hike on hold due to poor weather conditions and extreme avalanche warnings, but as arrogant teenagers, we decided not to listen.

This is implied with avalanches. One way people persevere through avalanches are through being prepared with the right tools. I know this because Disaster on the Mountain states, “Repetto had other equipment to help him. His ski poles screwed together to form a probe. Rescuers use these slender, flexible poles to search through snow and debris for buried victims. After a few quick jabs into the snow, Repetto struck Stroud’s back.” It also states, “Strapped to Repetto’s backpack was another piece of crucial emergency equipment: a light aluminum shovel. Repetto began to dig frantically, the snow piling up around him,” Another good key to persevering an avalanche is speed. I know this because Disaster on the mountain states, “He knew time was precious. He had to find his friend immediately,” It also states, “body. If Repetto had arrived even one minute later, Stroud would have died,” Finally, knowing about avalanches can help you persevere through them, if not prevent getting in one. I know this because Disaster on the Mountain states, “Like the skiers in Tunnel Creek, Stroud and Repetto had attended avalanche school. They knew avalanches were common in Chugach State Park, particularly on bright, sunny days following heavy snowfall. They also knew that colder,shadowed slopes are more avalanche prone. Yet just such a slope is where they ventured for their fateful ski

Payson's landscape is an ever changing experience of seasons, but my favorite has always been that first snow fall of the year. The way the snow trickles down from the foggy sky and lands on the towering birch trees, is like a scene from a movie. Little chirps eco through the canyon as the birds prepare their homes for a long-awaited winter. We sat and watched as the pine trees quietly gathered the flakes that snuck through the arms of the birch trees. The brisk powder like snow continued to pile up and slowly started to fill in our foot prints, erasing any sign that we were ever there. A few more steps on the trail lead us to one of our most memorable spots. Peering over the edge of the cliff is always a bewildering sight. The vast open valley below was covered in a blanket of milky white snow, and the sweet smelling, cool air was as refreshing as a tall glass of ice water during a smoldering desert summer night. In the distance the sound of the powerful water fall below breaking over the ice sickle reddened boulders is one that is truly breathtaking.

For centuries, mountain dwellers and travelers have had to reckon with the deadly forces of snowy torrents descending with lightning speed down mountainsides. Researchers and experts are making progress in detection, prevention and safety measures, but avalanches still take their deadly toll