Russia — Wild footage out of Russia where a controlled avalanche mitigation operation sent a plume of snow crashing over ski resort of Cheget. Russia media outlets report that although the avalanche was triggered intentionally, it did catch guests off guard.
The below video was captured from inside Cafe Edelweis where you can see an employee banging on the restaurants window frantically attempting to alert guests to get indoors to avoid the incoming plume.
Cheget Ski Resort is located in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria in the North Caucasus of southern Russia, on the slopes of Mount Cheget near the village of Terskol. The resort sits close to Mount Elbrus, Europe’s tallest peak at 18,510 feet, and offers some of the most challenging inbounds terrain in the Caucasus Mountains. We have seen avalanche plumes hit Cheget in past like this slide from December 21, 2021:
