Avalanche rescue POV.
Avalanche rescue POV.

A group of skiers captured footage of an intense avalanche rescue through POV cameras, sharing the emotion-filled clip. What’s interesting is seeing how many users in the comments have never seen or heard of an avalanche beacon before, as it seems like such a normal thing to me, but it makes sense that there are many people in this world that wouldn’t know what one is.

It seems as though, despite the intensity of the video, the people in it did a darn good job at the rescue. The shoveling seemed a bit sloppy, and the initial removal of the gear wasn’t the fastest, but the avalanche victim was removed from the snow in a pretty quick period of time and he seemed to be more or less alright.

As always, the best way to avoid injuries or deaths in avalanches is to avoid avalanches all together. Make sure you check the local avalanche bulletin before heading into the backcountry, and always pack and know how to use your avalanche gear.

Colorado Avalanche Information Center Basic Avalanche Safety:

Avalanches are possible any time you have snow on a slope. The best thing you can do before you head into the mountains is check the avalanche forecast.

If you are traveling where there isn’t a current avalanche forecast, here are some simple things that will help you avoid avalanches.

  • Avalanches are possible when you have snow on a slope steeper than about 30 degrees.
  • Most avalanches happen during or soon after a big snowstorm,  period of strong winds, or during a thaw (rapid increase in temperature).
  • Signs of higher avalanche danger include recent avalanches, cracking in the snow, and audible collapsing. Avoid traveling on or under similar slopes.

If you want to dig deeper, you can view a list of educational resources on our Education Resources page

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