I swung around the tree until I was right beside the body. Its head was tilted forward and down. Its arms hung limp at its sides. I couldn’t see skis or a snowboard. Just a jacket and snow. How long had he been out here? Was no one looking for him? I got a little closer and thought about checking for a pulse or something, but it was too much. Way too much. So I just started yelling. “Help, help! Over here. There’s a guy. Help.” No one came. I had totally forgotten about the two-way radio. “Come on, man, get up. Just stand up and walk away from this,” I said. I was beginning to wonder if he was alive. The jacket was so puffy, I couldn’t tell if he was breathing. He didn’t move. I yelled again, but no one responded or swept in to help. It was all up to me. I took a glove off and reached my hand out. I forced myself to move my hand past the collar of his jacket and beneath his neck warmer. His skin was cold and spongy. I yanked my hand out, hitting his goggles on the way past.
