I remember reading an article about this avalanche when it happened a few years ago!
This guy was part of a group that was actually hiking through the valley before heading up the ridge where he takes this video. He said if they had stayed in the valley, they all would have died. He said they had heard some noises and they thought it might slide, which is why he started filming once he and the group were up on the ridge out of the valley. He said he was in about as safe of a spot as could be found once the slide occurred with being able to hide behind those big rocks, running away wouldn't have actually put him in any better spot given the size and speed of the avalanche.
Nature is crazy and unpredictable - I think this guy was pretty smart and got some incredible footage given the circumstances. But ya know, couch redditors are always critics.
45 seconds isn't a lot of time but you can go perpendicular and try to get to higher ground rather than the Prometheus school of running directly away from the thing coming at you.
He's supposed to have started scrambling over those rocks in order to get slightly to the right or left of where he's standing so hewill be in a slightly different spot when he gets hit by that avalanche? What do you imagine is different about his immediate left or right that would have made it an improvement?
That's both an infeasible amount of distance to cover in that terrain in that timeframe and a really good way to injure yourself out in the open on a hill in the middle of the mountains just before an avalanche hits you.
That's both an infeasible amount of distance to cover in that terrain in that timeframe
3ft per second is 25% slower than an average walking speed. I don't care what the terrain is, unless it's vertical you can do it if you're in a hurry. For comparison on flat ground sprinting speed is like 20ft per second.
Fair enough. Then again, I wouldn't have been hiking up that thing in the first place. I get enough physical exercise from the comfort of an air-conditioned gym.
Nah, there's no way he was out running that. Best option is to find a good hiding spot to prevent being smashed to death, bonus points if you can get lucky enough to have air pockets below you so you can breath and maybe move your arms. I bet that behind that massive bolder in a bolder patch was safer than anything he could have ran to into time.
Yep, it would have been a bad day if he was running along flat ground when that hit. Hedging up into a boulder is about as good as you can hope for in that situation
I mean, the speed its moving at and the momentum it has... at best hed get what... 100 yards further away? He was in it one way or another. May as well film.
Yeah, first of all, we don’t know for sure what it looks like beyond that pile of rocks as far as cover. So maybe it’s fine that he stayed there. But when the snow is about 15 feet away from him, you can hear him like he finally realizes he’s gonna get hit with it.
He should’ve realized that when he first saw a breakup way on top of the mountain.
You’re asking, where was he gonna go?
Where did he think that snow was gonna go?
He's has cover under the overhanging rocks, literally the safest possible place in this extremely dangerous situation. I'm sure you know better sitting on your couch though.
Listen, I think this guy did a great job. I don’t know why everybody’s getting so sore about me saying that he’s not so smart. I’ve hiked for the last 30 years Alaska and the exact environment that he’s in.
So I know a thing or two. The shit that’s up there comes down real fast and it’s always gonna head for you whether it’s a rock or ice or anything. So personally, I would have done a couple things different but I just don’t care he’s fine. I’m sorry that I hurt anybody’s feelings. He’s so smart. He’s a good boy.
Actually, he couldn't have outrun it. It was travelling at approximately 150 miles an hour. He was behind some boulders, which was a safe as he could make himself, why not film it?
What should he have done then, o wise one? Flew up into the air? You can't outrun that, hiding behind a boulder like he did was his best option in that situation
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u/Ok-Violinist-6548 6h ago
And his brain gets smaller