Famous Seattle mountaineer Ed Viesturs knows about the subject, having experienced an avalanche up close in his 18-year quest to climb the world's 14 mountains more than 26,000 feet in height.

The 48-year-old adventurer details his achievement in No Short Cuts to the Top, including an outing with then-climbing partner Scott Fisher on K2 when a powdery avalanche cascaded over both men.

"We were climbing on a day we normally would not be climbing because we were on a rescue," said Viesturs in a phone interview from Seattle. "It was snowy and windy. We knew the slopes were loaded. People were way, way above kicking down small amounts of snow. We were putting ourselves in a tough situation."

The two climbers tied themselves together with a rope. Viesturs dug an ice cave so he could tuck himself into a hole and protect himself from a sweep of snow in case of an avalanche.

"Just as I finished that pocket, I saw Scott being engulfed by a wave of powder snow," recalled Viesturs. "I anchored and tucked myself in. I felt the snow cover my back but I was not affected by the brunt. The idea worked well.

"Scott was swept down the mountain with the avalanche. He came below, the rope came tight and we tumbled along with the remnants. I was able to stop myself with the ice ax and stopped Scott as well. We were not buried because the slope was so steep and so powdery. It pushed along with us rather than covering us. It moved 8,000 feet down the hill and went down without us."

That example shows the value of planning ahead.

Viesturs recently signed a contract with Adventure Medical Kits, which exhibited equipment at the recent Outdoor Retailer Winter Market Show in Salt Lake City that could help prevent avalanche deaths.

The climber said the combination of heavy storms and more people exploring the backcountry contributed to some of the accidents this year.

"Part of it is ignorance," he said. "People don't know what they are getting into."

Viesturs also lives by what he describes as "listening to the mountain."

"You have to know what to look for and how to evaluate the situation," he said. "That goes with any kind of wilderness. You have to go with the flow. You can't beat the mountains into submission. They kind of allow you to climb them. You have to be humble and respectful of the power of nature."

That's good advice for any outdoor pursuit.

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* TOM WHARTON can be contacted at wharton@sltrib.com. His phone number is 801-257-8909. Send comments about this story to livingeditor @sltrib.com.