First heads up: no one was harmed in the making of this video. Hell, even the GoPro emerged unharmed, but it’s operator was definitely at a safe distance.
Second heads up: just so you know, this was a set-up. It wasn’t a chance avalanche that someone just happened to film in a “right place, right time” convergence. However, we don’t think that lessens the power of the actual imagery. In fact, they're only made possible by some careful planning – avalanche safety awareness is always vital in situations like this.
The person responsible is photojournalist Brett Schreckengost who captures a rarely-seen, up close and personal angle of an avalanche as it engulfs his trusty HERO12 Black.
The avalanche was remotely triggered on a slope in Telluride, Colorado, and Schreckengost was standing well back. Well, well, well back.
As you watch the footage, it’s an almost nightmarish vision of what it must be like to be caught in an avalanche yourself, both spectacular but utterly terrifying. The power of nature once again laid bare. It’s something you never want to have to witness for real.
After the avalanche, Schreckengost recovered his camera and submitted the footage to the #GoProAwards winning himself a cool $1,000 for his efforts.
As he reveals in the answers to some of the queries on the Instagram post, he managed to retrieve the GoPro because it was attached to an avalanche transceiver, and was buried, “only a few inches deep”.
But, he adds, the camera, “got blown back about 20 foot off the ice axe anchor point.” We’re not surprised looking at the power of that tumbling snow.
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