Roger Strong has more than 42 years of skiing experience under his belt.
But even a lifetime of training on the slopes is no match for an avalanche.
In April 2011, Roger was climbing up his favorite backcountry run when he triggered a snow slide that hurled him and two of his friends several hundred feet down the mountain.
See Roger's incredible story >
Roger's horizontal skis were clotheslined by a tree, and his tibias, the bone that connects the knee to the ankle, were ripped from his femurs.
Over the past decade an average of 25 people died each year in avalanches in the United States. The list of fatalities has ballooned in the last half-century alongside the growth of ski tourism.
Fortunately Roger survived. He returned to the spot that mangled his legs and bound him to a wheelchair for more than three months exactly one year after the horrific accident
Roger's memory of that terrifying day — and inspiring recovery — are chronicled in a short film by ARC'TERYX.
April 6, 2011, started out as a standard skiing day on Mount Snoqualmie in Washington.
Roger and four friends, all experienced backcountry skiers, hit the trail at around 6 a.m.
Backcountry skiing generally refers to skiing ungroomed snow, outside of designated ski resorts. It is therefore more challenging and more dangerous.
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