Watch this video about an avalanche survivor who used heat wraps to survive on HowStuffWorks. Ryan Roberts thought his life was over on Thursday, March 1, when he was caught in an avalanche while snowmobiling in Flathead National Forest's Jewel Basin near Kalispell, Montana. Roberts says that a small air pocket in the snow, a full face helmet and a ThermaCare heat wrap kept him alive during his 8 hours under the avalanche. See how avalanches work in this video from MultiVu.