>> yeah four of our athletes were first ones on the scene. digging, helping, helping rescuers point in the right direction. shoveling as fast and as hard as possible. our coaching staff, was nearby ran up the hill. to where the avalanche finally settled and took part in the whole process, too. the amount of strength that those encouraged that those individuals demonstrated was remarkable. >> remarkable indeed. and such heartbreaking, such trauma for them to endure. i understand it happened near the european training base. at one point, the group of skiers went off-trail and that's what triggered the avalanche. is this a rare kind of accident to happen in your experience? >> i've been with the u.s. ski team for 12 15 years and this is the first time we've had any