Two avalanche deaths defy logic.

One man caught in an avalanche recently was buried for 8 hours and lived. Another never had his head go below the snow and died.

A snowmobiler was caught in an avalanche in Montana Friday and was buried under 4 feet of snow. His friends searched for two hours, then went for help. After six hours, his cousin, who had just arrived, probed the snow, hit a body, and unearthed the unconscious but still breathing man.

"I guess I was just allowed to live another day," he said when released from the hospital.

A day later in Colorado, a snowshoer on the flanks of Mount Evans died even though he was never buried. According to the Rocky Mountain News, he and his girlfriend were snowshoeing along County Highway 5 near Echo Lake, which is closed for the winter, when the man fell about 50 yards down a slope, setting off the slide.
The woman, who had been skiing ahead of him, began to search with her dog. The dog soon found the man buried up to his neck in snow. Three other people arrived to help, and one was able to dial 911 and summon the Alpine Rescue Team and Flight for Life.

Soon after the rescue workers arrived, the man's condition deteriorated and he was declared dead at the scene. The cause of death has not been determined.

The slide was one of many set off by people this weekend. Backcountry slide danger is still rated "considerable" in most of the state.