3.22.11 - 4:00PM
- by
Alex Staub

Russian Controlled Avalanche Fail

topic:
Videos
In Real Life

controlled russian avalanche fail In Russia's North Ossetia region there are problems this time of year with warmer weather causing snow to melt resulting in dangerous avalanches that many times end up blocking main roads and leaving people stranded. As a safety precaution (and for the general convenience of not having to deal with the unpredictability of these avalanches)the Russian military uses artillery shells, fired near the top of the mountain, to allow the snow to fall on their time.

These controlled avalanches are pretty standard, but in this video the attempt doesn't go exactly as planned. At first everything seems to be going well as you can see the snow starting to break away from the mountain. Mission accomplished? Not quite.

The snow starts picking up speed and suddenly it becomes apparent to everyone on the site that perhaps they should have done this from a little further back. These guys are either brave or are just used to dealing with being up to their necks in snow. I know if I had been out there at the time I would have started running a little sooner, but I am not the type to try to stare down a avalanche.