The harrowing footage of Chris Cardello shows how quickly things can go bad when skiing back country. After a few turns, the snow begins to crack and break free, dragging him down the mountain in an out of control spin. Within seconds he is buried deep below the snow.
The frightening part of this video isn’t the beginning, where the avalanche begins, it’s the moment after his mates break through the snow to get to him. After waiting over 4 minutes, the shovel breaks through and he begins gasping for long awaited oxygen. The wince in his breaths hurts my chest, it brings with it the reality of how close he was to being buried alive. Helmet cameras allow you to really empathise with this kind of experience.
Thank god there are now new and emerging technologies that make events like this, that little bit safer.
For more close calls and amazing back country skiing check out the full trailer for ‘Down Days’ below.
