The 23-year-old victim of an avalanche in Unskiabowl said Thursday he’s lucky to be alive after tumbling about 1,300 vertical feet, digging himself out from packed snow and spending Tuesday night with rescue workers in the backcountry.

Toby Kuznia, who has lived in Jackson for one year and works at the airport, said by telephone at St. John’s Medical Center that he has two fractures in his pelvic bone and some bruises but no other injuries.

“It was nasty,” he said. “I was lucky to come away from it.”

Kuznia, a snowboarder, and three companions — Jeremiah Hobby, Matt Burris and Ryan Crist — were traversing north on the ridge of Mount Glory near Teton Pass when he decided to check out Unskiabowl. As he was peering into the bowl, the cornice he was standing on broke and pulled him over the edge.

That fall triggered a 75-foot-wide slide that swept the snowboarder off a 50-foot cliff. That started a larger avalanche about 6 to 8 feet deep and 300 feet wide. Kuznia then slid another 1,200 feet down to the bottom of the bowl.

Kuznia said during a short phone interview from the hospital that he used one unburied hand to dig himself out from the snow.

“I could kind of see a little bit of light,” he said. “I just wiggled my hand till I was able to breathe.”

Kuznia said his companions were visiting him for Christmas break, and he was guiding them to the Great White Hump. He said he only wanted to peek into Unskiabowl.

After the slide, which was triggered about 4 p.m., Crist went out to call for help. Rescue workers didn’t get the call until 6 p.m.

Because it was dark, the snowpack was unstable and subzero temperatures were possible, rescue workers decided to send a team to bring extra equipment and clothing and stay overnight.

Five Search and Rescue workers, including a doctor, started toward the three men around 8:45 p.m. and reached them about an hour later.

They were flown out just after 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, there were at least three other skier-caused avalanches following a major winter storm.

One slide near Jensen Canyon, on a peak known as the Pyramid, was likely triggered by two skiers climbing a ridge near the slope.

Then, two skiers traversing a slope together south of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort triggered a 4-foot-deep fracture at 10,500 feet. They were carried by but survived the slide.

Three skiers climbing a southeast slope at approximately 10,300 feet in Grand Teton National Park also were caught but not injured by a slide visible from Jackson.