Skier triggers dangerous cornice fall.
Skier triggers dangerous cornice fall.

The man behind the camera filming his friend triggering a massive cornice fall may have been chuckling but cornice safety is no laughing matter.

Releasing an overhanging mass of snow formed by wind deposits (triggering a cornice fall) can lead to snow immersion suffocation (SIS) when the skier lands and trigger avalanches or simply entrain large amounts of loose snow along with the cornice debris which is also a dangerous scenario. Many cornice fall accidents are caused by skiers and snowboarder venturing too far out onto corniced ridgelines which should be avoided.

In the video below, the downhill skier had a visual on the cornice and should have directed his friend to find a safer entry point rather than pulling out his phone to film. The filmer also put himself in perilous position as this cornice fall could have easily triggered an avalanche that could have caught and carried him. Read more about cornice fall safety below.

AVALANCHE.ORG CORNICE SAFETY:

Cornices grow through the winter on the leeward side of wind exposed ridges and summits. Cornices range from small wind lips of soft snow to overhangs of hard snow larger than a school bus. They can break off the terrain suddenly and unexpectedly and can sometimes be triggered from a distance.  Overhung cornices can pull back further than expected onto a flat ridge top and catch people by surprise. While large cornices are quite destructive by themselves, even a small cornice can be deadly if it carries you over a cliff or rocky terrain below.  The impact from a Cornice Fall can also easily trigger slab avalanches on steep slopes below.  Travel cautiously on corniced ridgelines, giving cornices or unknown edges a wide berth.  Limit your exposure to slopes below cornices. Cornice Fall is most likely during periods of significant temperature warm-up or rapid cornice growth due to wind loading.

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