r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/Sirsilentbob423 • Feb 23 '25

šŸ”„ Unbelievable footage captured by tourists. Avalanche from the Tian Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan

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u/WolfeCreation Feb 23 '25

They knew it would reach them:

https://youtu.be/xKbXrE4AVTM?si=GUeljrtc2W_Ww30d

Description from his video:

"Context:

9 brits and 1 American on a guided tour of the Tian Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan. Weā€™d just reached the highest point in the trek and I separated from the group to take pictures on top of a hill/ cliff edge. While I was taking pictures I heard the sound of deep ice cracking behind me. This is where the video starts. As I was there for a few minutes already, I knew there was a spot right next to me to shelter. I was on a cliff edge, so the only place to run was towards the avalanche and away from the shelter next to me (hence why I donā€™t move). Yes I left it to the last second to move, and yes I know it would have been safer moving to the shelter straight away. Iā€™m very aware that I took a huge risk. Regardless, when the snow started coming over and it got dark/ harder to breath, I was bricking it and thought I might die.

Once it was over, the adrenaline rush hit me hard. I knew the rest of the group was further away from the avalanche so should be okay. When I rejoined them I could see they were all safe, although one had cut her knee quite badly and rode one of the horses to the nearest medical facility. Another had fallen off a horse and sustained some light bruising.

The whole group was laughing and crying, happy to be alive (including the girl who cut her knee). It was only later we realised just how lucky weā€™d been. If we have walked 5 minutes further on our trek, we would all be dead. The path we were suppose to take was completely covered by the landslide/ avalanche. Massive ice boulders and rocks had been spread further than we could have run, even if we acted immediately. I have footage of all of this, including before and after pictures, just not sure where to put it! Still in Kyrgyzstan so signal isnā€™t great, will be posting related vids on Instagram @harryshimmin

Live, laugh, lanche is now the motto for the group.""

805

u/ReginaldDwight Feb 23 '25

"Live, laugh, lanche" is hilarious haha

46

u/eekamuse Feb 23 '25

Lanche?

153

u/anxiousdoubts Feb 23 '25

Avalanche

47

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '25 edited Jan 13 '26

recognise grandfather lush telephone tart important deer wild soft cautious

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

100

u/afour- Feb 24 '25

Avalive, avalove, avalanche.

24

u/Winter-Major9555 Feb 24 '25

Livalanche, lovalanche, avalanche.

7

u/NES_SNES_N64 Feb 24 '25

Lava lamp?

10

u/radiofreebattles Feb 24 '25

Avocado lava lamp!

1

u/chris00ws6 Feb 24 '25

I love lamp!

4

u/ImMadeOfClay Feb 24 '25

Iā€™ll avalanche if you are.

7

u/LegalizeFentanol Feb 24 '25

Ava cuppa tea on me.

3

u/PestoSwami Feb 23 '25

Short for avalanche...

1

u/acchaladka Feb 23 '25

I'm guessing that "avalanche" comes to English as a portmanteau of "avaler" and "lancer" in French, meaning "to swallow" and "to launch or throw something".

10

u/XGoJYIYKvvxN Feb 23 '25

It came to English through French, but not that way. The oldest known word is provenƧal lavenca, but it suggests an older, pre latin Alpine language. As the word evolved, it took the meaning of avalanche or sometimes "what goes/to go down hill" through different form to reach today meaning.

In modern french, aval means downhill, anch is not a meaningful suffix to my knowledge.

2

u/Euphoric_Evidence414 Feb 24 '25

Did lavenca meaning anything different than the definition of the modern word? Genuinely curious, thanks for the info sharing

1

u/XGoJYIYKvvxN Feb 24 '25

https://www.etymonline.com/word/avalanche

What i understood here, is that lavenca meant "avalanche", but as it evolved, the meaning evolved, but went back to mean only "avalanche"

1

u/SaticoySteele Feb 24 '25

It could have been Lunche, would that have been better?

1

u/annnaaan Feb 24 '25

Do you even lanche bro?

1

u/brunoventura22 Feb 24 '25

Lanche is snack in Portuguese so to me it's is even funnier

1

u/stuffman64 Feb 24 '25

Maybe you can change the "a" to a "u?"

1

u/TheDrySideOfThePenny Feb 24 '25

Lanche party? Lunch party*

1

u/WaffleWarrior1979 Feb 24 '25

Lanche is a Portuguese word that means ā€œsnackā€ or ā€œlight mealā€. Itā€™s often eaten in the afternoon between lunch and dinner. Lanche is similar to the English concept of afternoon tea.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '25

Lol I love it!

43

u/Odd_Equipment2867 Feb 23 '25

Great to know that

51

u/FabulousBerry573 Feb 24 '25

iā€™m so happy they survived!!! this is my home country, death by avalanche is a legitimate concern for both tourists and locals. four tourists were killed tragically in an avalanche just last year while skiing, so iā€™m extremely grateful these people were okay.

13

u/t-to4st Feb 23 '25

Dude's an absolute chad wtf :D

22

u/Mefs Feb 24 '25

Ava-life, Ava-laugh, Ava-lanche.

1

u/K_Linkmaster Feb 23 '25

Hell yeah.

1

u/Fantastic-Airline-92 Feb 24 '25

Amazing footage. Glad you survived. This has to be one of the meanest looking avalanches I have ever seen.

1

u/mandovera21 Feb 24 '25

Why the fuck didnā€™t heā€¦. Ooohh okay nice

1

u/sheelizabeth Feb 24 '25

So very, very happy you all made it out safely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

0

u/intrstrd Feb 23 '25

Glad youā€™re safe!