‘GMA’s Ginger Zee Performs Another Daring Stunt After Ice Plunge

Ginger Zee put herself in another dangerous situation to teach Good Morning America viewers about the importance of extreme weather safety.

Earlier this month, Zee jumped into a frozen quarry in Logansport, Indiana, to share information about ice rescues. On GMA‘s Friday, March 20, episode, the meteorologist took viewers along as she underwent an avalanche simulation.

“They do these often so they can practice rescue, which makes sense, because these do happen. But a majority of avalanche accidents are actually triggered by the victim or someone in their party,” she said in the GMA studio. “Snow doesn’t just fall in nature that often. Snow also doesn’t fall in a uniform way. It can get layered like a wedding cake. And it depends on the conditions, but those layers can slip, which is how an avalanche happens.”

She added, “With this unprecedented all-time March heat right now in the Rockies, avalanche danger is spiking, so this information could be key to survival if you’re heading out.”

Zee went on to air a prerecorded package about the experience. “If you’re buried in an avalanche in the backcountry, it’s unlikely that search and rescue teams or ski patrol can get there in time to save you because after 15 minutes, your chance of survival plummets,” Anna Malone, Instructor for the American Avalanche Institute, told Zee in Cottonwood Canyon, Utah.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Good Morning America (@goodmorningamerica)

According to Malone, you should try to “swim” and “make yourself as big as possible” if caught in an avalanche. “And then, as the snow is coming to a stop, you would try to throw a hand up and also grab your opposite shoulder in order to create an air pocket,” she explained.

Related

'GMA's Ginger Zee Claps Back at Critics of Her On-Air Looks

Zee went on to share via voiceover that people should never go into backcountry terrain without others and without a beacon so others can track your location. In the package, the Wasatch Backcountry Rescue team proceeded to put Zee in a “snow cave” so she could experience being trapped in the snow for herself.

One of the team’s rescue dogs managed to find Zee’s location and dig her out of the snow.

“We want people to realize when this airs, this does not mean don’t go out and enjoy the winter,” Zee told Malone, who replied, “No, not at all. By educating yourself, knowing how to interpret the forecast, and being well-trained, you will mitigate your chance of being caught in an avalanche.”

After the package, Zee shared more avalanche safety tips with her GMA colleagues. “You have to check the avalanche forecast. It is easy to find. Also, take a certified avalanche course so you can spot the signs and know how to avoid dangerous geography, depending on what the weather has been like,” she stated. “And always travel with the beacon, a probe, and a shovel, so you can dig yourself or others out. We met with avalanche survivors. They said that’s the only way you can get out, and you really only have those 15 minutes. It is key.”

Good Morning America, Weekdays, 7a/6c, ABC