I live in the Sierra Nevada. Last winter, a large avalanche buried a several mile section of highway under 30-50 feet of concrete-like debris, essentially leaving my town cutoff from the north. It took them a month to clear it and even longer to make the necessary repairs! This winter, a dear friend of mine was fully buried for nearly 13 minutes in a large Persistent Slab Avalanche. Miraculously, he survived with only scrapes and bruises. Spot on video and messaging!
I’m an avalanche educator and apprentice mountain guide. I am only a minute in but can promise I will share this with students and am so glad you are covering what I find so fascinating
Came to the comments to say just this...Really appreciate the effort they put into getting the jargon correct and explaining the concepts and science in a succinct and digestible way. Super helpful for the new wave of backcountry users out there.
@@chrisgabrielli5032 I was so impressed with it, you can tell they had people in the industry review it and help make the concepts more digestible. Obviously it has its gaps but it is a very succinct introduction to snow
"The best way to avoid an avalanche is not to be caught in one.", he says while being surrounded by palm trees. This is why he has one of the best science channels.
I mean, God literally says "Do not kill/harm yourself. Indeed God is the Allforgiving." How hard can it be to just obey this command and not put yourself in danger or harm yourself in any way?
I'm a ski patroller in Alaska, and I want to thank you for bringing attention to how deadly avalanches are. Getting a beacon, probe, and avalanche shovel are great first steps, but you must make sure you are trained and practiced with each tool.
This really cannot be emphasized enough! And it also depends heavily on the group and its dynamics. In an avalanche situation, every minute counts, and under stress there is no time to discuss how to deal with it.
When I lived in BC and got a little into touring I was so impressed with the attitude of my peers. No one would ski with you if you hadn’t done a course, no one would ski with you if they didn’t think you could dig them out.
Yall are scared geeks what is he supposed to do go back to his boss and say I can't work anymore today im absolutely unharmed? I have no hope for the future work force
@@REDWHITEBLUEFULLTHRU After a workplace injury, an incident report should be filed and a medical checkup wouldn't hurt. Sometimes injuries go unchecked and get worse over time. That can be far worse for a worker's productivity than missing a day.
I was trapped 1,5m deep in an avalanche in about 2 hours, and survived. I was lucky that my head was between two rocks that made a big enough cavity for me to breathe for those hours. The best thing i remember was the total silence and the panic that i might not beem found before it was too late. And the feeling when someone responded to my shouting. Ant then seeing the lingt when the rescuers dug me out. Sadly, two people did not survive 😥. To this day, i still have contact with the person who pulled me out. I owed my life to him.
@@AnantMall I do meet one of the men who pulled me up. The one who stayed with me all the way to the hospital in the helicopter often. Especially if i we having a BBQ.
Huge round of applause for Jakub Misiek, Fabio Albertelli, Alex Zepherin, Alex Drakoulis, Ivy Tello, David Szakaly, Leigh Williamson, and more for making the wonderful illustrations and animations of these videos! They deserve a raise. The animations and illustrations are so awesome, well done, and informative. So huge props to them 👏👏👏
As someone who has been caught in what turned out to be a 3 scale avalanche on the off side of the ski slope while snow hiking during winter it is every bit majestic and killer as you might think, and the damn thing is quiet, you would feel it more than you could hear it. A shovel and alert companions were the reason why I was saved from being buried alive. I honestly felt like a rag doll in a tumble dryer while it was sweeping me off my feet and down the mountain side.
I agree, I used to be more of a mark rober fan but over the past few years I have found I never watch his stuff anymore. I keep coming back here and he never disappoints. @kelsyq
This is honestly a better avalanche awareness video then anything else on youtube. Only thing left is how to interpreter layers and what those interpretations mean. Very nice job.
Thank you for this. Side note, I work search and rescue myself but it's industrial confined space rescue. 65% of victims' deaths are would be rescuers. There's many types of rescue and disaster prevention. All of it stays with curious minds passionate about solving a problem for the greater good. The amount of science and engineering that goes into my equipment and tactics is deep.
I've worked around controlled atmosphere environments and it was always made clear that we were never to go in even to save someone else for the same reason you said. Scary how quickly you pass out without oxygen.
The "hero" complex is too ingrained in society... Everyone should get basic first aid training in school to at least learn _why_ they should stay away when they can't reasonably ensure their own safety.
I would like to thank you and people like you for risking your lives to rescue my family full of engineers in the event where one of our dumb asses fucks up. cheers :)
@@soundscape26 One month interval between videos is perfectly acceptable for me given the quality of it. I sometimes re-watch a video multiple times until I truly understand it. By that baseline, I think getting these extra videos is awesome.
For the non-backcountry riding viewer--avalanches can happen to hikers and snowshoers too! For sure a lot less likely, but even if you're not hiking something steep, you might be traversing a slope, on a ridge between slopes, on a cornice (hopefully not), or connected to a steep slope. It's good to check conditions even if you're "just" going for a snowshoe or winter hike, especially after a storm! Excellent video!
Ski instructor here, great explanation. I’ve been in light sluff, but slabs terrify me. Unless you reeeaaaallly know what you’re doing, stay on piste and don’t duck the rope. Important note: Most people who die in avalanches are advanced riders who get in over their heads. Beginners don’t have anything to worry about unless they are way outside their skill level
@@DrDeuteron He works at an indoor ski simulator, in Loveland, Colorado it looks like a giant sloped treadmill :D Do not want to be rude, he probably is a good skiier
Going off piste and ducking the rope are two very different concepts. Europeans (the only set of people I know who refer to it as a piste and not a “groomer”) tend to be terrified of skiing off piste because they are afraid of the uncertainty that can come with it. But honestly if your hill is properly patrolled and you follow basic safety precautions (like not tree skiing alone) you will probably be fine. Heck the best skiing always comes from off-piste. If it’s wide open and visible, there’s no reason to not explore when it’s permitted. Now, ducking the fence implies dropping into an area specifically roped off by patrol for good reason. Obviously you shouldn’t be going into these areas, be it because they are out of bounds or closed for avalanche control.
Beginners do worry and that keeps them alive. It is the lack of worry that kills the intermediate back country rider. It's the same with driving a car: the most dangerous time is when you think for the first time that you are a good driver.
Major props to the animation team for this one; showing how white material interacts with other similar white material (snow on snow) is quite a data-visualization challenge, and they did a great job!
If your'e already spending time in the backcountry and didn't know these ultra basics, you already messed up. Go get a certification before your next trip out.
Great job on making this video. As a full time Heli-Ski Guide and Avalanche Professional living in the mountains of Western Canada. I've taught these corses for yrs. This one was well done for the novelist and can hopefully help those who read about avalanche fatalities have a better understanding to how the snow pack develops and behaves under certain criteria.Great awareness video!
So cool you got Nikolai Shirmer! That guy & his team do fantastic cinematography & incredible feats. So cool to include him. He's very knowledgable/experienced in this subject. Fantastic job!
Please remember that videos like these are no substitution for gaining real applicable knowledge and experience. The AIRE-1 certification is a great place to start learning about the didn't avalanche problems, how to predict them, and how to rescue people caught up in them.
@@geemy9675 Or an asteroid causign a earthquake, that triggers a tsunami, which hits a mountain, which suffers an avalanche, which rolls down to the coast, causing another tsunami the other way, which pops back up the asteroid and sends it flying back out into space to attack another world?
What about an avalanche causing an asteroid to crash? Huh? Why is no one talking about this, this could be a very dangerous situation and could claim many innocent lives😢.
Absolutely commendable, realizing the importance of your work (especially so after such an ordeal), being the safety of others. He acknowledges like I do with my mistakes, learn from them and move on. I respect this man thoroughly.
WW1 in the alps was just incredible. Would recommend the RUclips channel WW1 day by day. 9 battles over the same pass with no progress from either side. Incredible.
As someone who has done some avalanche training this is an amazing introduction to the world of snow science! Awesome work! Also love seeing a Nikolai x Veritasium crossover ❤
@@RaraoolalaThis video’s title/thumbnail is changing to test which combination causes the most traction. Watch Veritasium’s video about clickbait and he explains it
I've snowboarded for 25 years (in BC!) and this is the single best video about avalanches I have ever seen. Thank you for making this, I hope it saves some lives!
As a very hobbyist snowboarder, I once saw an avalanche team going up in Italy/Alps. It was a refreshing dose of reality that the mountains are no joke and these people work hard to keep ignorant tourists like myself safe.
My cousin died in an avalanche in march this year. He and his friend were as prepared as anyone. They had all the necesary gear and training, and they ski together all the time. Apparently, his friend triggered the avalance, but managed to escape, while my cousin wasn't so lucky. His friend used the beacon and started shoveling asap, but sadly wasn't fast enough. His life was way too short. He was 20. I couldn't bring myself to watch this video until now with this tragic accident looming in me.
As a snow scientist myself, I gotta say, this video is VERY well done! The snow nerd in me especially enjoyed the second one snow dynamics. This is such an underrated field of science. Thank you for highlighting it!
Science fun fact: An avalanche airbag keeps you afloat NOT because of greater buoyancy, but because of the "Brazil Nut Effect". This means that greater objects tend to rise regardless of their density. Just like as in a cereal bowl, the largest chunks always are on top if you shake it. Awesome video!
Do you know what is buoyancy? do you know how big boat floats ?? do you know displacement factor in buoyancy??? do you know about size factor in buoyancy???? Do you know big size means big displacement in buoyancy????? Do you know anything about buoyancy?????? Nah it's brazil nutty effect
just like a bowling ball in a bag of rice will float when shaken as it is much larger than the grains. and the only reason it's called "airbag" is we picked air as the cheapest of all filling materials, not for purposes of floating at all. thanks for spreading big facts
@@SoloLevellor Granular convection aka Brazil Nut Effect is different from buoyancy. Larger object can be more dense, yet it still stays on top. Smaller particles fill air slot more easily, and that's why they sink at bottom, and larger objects come on top
Great video, incredibly important that not only back country but also resort skiers understand. Having triggered and caught in one myself, and lost friends in avalanches you can't be too knowledgable or careful. Thanks!
@ACougarSwagnum This is your second copy + paste comment I've seen. I don't know if you're doing it with evil intent or just too lazy to write a new one?
Thank you. Over sixty years ago, I wish I had seen this video before venturing into the Sierra Nevadas. Topographic maps kept me safe. Thanks again. Chief
As an avid Ve content consumer and someone who has spent 100s of hours in the backcountry over the years, I have to say this video is stress inducing in a good way, there are a lot of good avalanche safety awareness sources on youtube, but this is the best overall I've seen. Another thing to mention about airbag backpacks is that they can decrease the chance of death from impacting a tree while in an avalanche. Radio communication and group location awareness are pretty critical, you only have a short amount of time to dig out your friends.
19:49 you forgot to mention one more important "thing" - you have to take with you your absolute best buddy who also owns all those things and is trained to use them.
somehow lately it feels like veritasium just brought back the old shows we used to watch on history tv or discovery and these feel so great, i had been craving a video telling something more about black holes and relativity and i spent the whole day thinking after watvhing that one and this one is just great too im glad i found this channel
Sometimes unstoppable layers are weak and can't hold together. New snowfall, rain, or changes in temperature can tip the balance and cause a weak layer to collapse. This disrupts the unstable snowpack and gets the avalanche going . After all , this guy get to enjoy the snow in this harsh summer ⛱️🌞
Bruce, Betsy Armstrong, Doug Fesler, Jill Fredson, several others - so helpful in making this important knowledge available and useful. Also thanks to AIARE for continued training. Countless lives have been saved in North America due to these folks and organizations. As always, hats off to the National Ski Patrol System.
A lot of youtubers change the title and thumbnail several times in the the first couple days after posting. They monitor the analytics to see what combination gets the most views and then stick with that.
I took my first avalanche safety course this spring and I really appreciate how your video covered a large portion of what we learned. One thing I didn't realize before the course is that airbags aren't always the best tool in the back country. If you deploy an airbag you're committing to riding the avalanche and your possibility of self-arresting is gone. Stay safe!
Just wanted to give much appreciation for Petr, it's really heartwarming seeing how much work he puts into his trips (especially in Japan), he's always so humble yet very interested in what the expert has to say, it's great seeing him again!
Even if true, it's a great thing this video was made to give a wider range of people at least a basic understanding about avalanches. In Europe most of the terrain isn't avalanche controlled and you wouldn't believe how many clueless people still go out there.
Only a few months ago, a friend (and avalache safety instructor / mountaineering guide) from Whistler area was caught and killed in an avalanche during ice climbing near Roger's pass. I believe it was a wind slab and caught the party by surprise. Thank you for the informative coverage of this often overlooked topic, and it was a particularly emotional video
the original title was: "These are the avalanches to look out for" and the thumbnail had a red circle encompassing a visual avalance of falling snow, with an arrow pointing at it with the caption 'not this!'
this same thing happened with his einstein video recently. the alternate title was something like these are the asteroid's to watch out for with the same red circle you describe. lol
@@TheShortScottishGuyI know why it puts me off. I'm going to watch a video from this channel because I like the content but if the title and thumbnail describe what's in the video in a click bait manner I'm put off because I know that's not what I'll find in the video
I think this video is not performing well for some reason. Veritasium has changed the thumbnails many times and title too now. But this video is a banger. Good job man!
Great video! A couple things I would like to add in. I believe that the air bubble doesn’t always happen, the avalanche can stuff your mouth full of snow since you’re probably screaming, so when digging someone out the first thing you want to do is find their face and make sure its clear of snow so they can breathe again. Another thing, at the end of the video you mentioned that if you’re going into the backcountry to always bring probe beacon and shovel. But you should also have mentioned to never go alone ALWAYS have someone with you who also has all the gear so they can dig you out or you dig them out. The gear is useless if you get buried alone. Also, when with others, when you’re crossing avalanche terrain or underneath it, go through one person at time, so the one of you is out of harms way keeping an eye on the one in the avalanche terrain.
You sent your PRODUCER!?! to perform field research?? Either, job qualifications have changed drastically, or the Veritasium Crew are a TRULY dedicated lot. So admirable
Ver is getting too much heat. As a semi-pro skier, I think it’s an awesome video. Thank you kindly, and keep it up Ver. Avi training and knowledge is very important.
As someone who lives in the tropics, this is incredibly educational, as I know very little about snow or mountains, let alone "surface hoar." It also sorta reminds me of rip currents you get in the ocean, and the solution is sorta similar, if a little more nuanced; head sideways and always maintain "up" when possible are your best bets to not drowning.
All your episodes are great, but I particularly enjoyed this one. Science wrapped in an appealing subculture. Keep it up. I do agree with another comment I saw though. Beyond just having the gear, courses, education, and learning from experienced backcountry enthusiasts is absolutely vital.
2 videos within 3 days?? Hell yeah
Normal
This one is probably kinda boring tho
Hail yeah
E
Bro getting full time
I live in the Sierra Nevada. Last winter, a large avalanche buried a several mile section of highway under 30-50 feet of concrete-like debris, essentially leaving my town cutoff from the north. It took them a month to clear it and even longer to make the necessary repairs! This winter, a dear friend of mine was fully buried for nearly 13 minutes in a large Persistent Slab Avalanche. Miraculously, he survived with only scrapes and bruises. Spot on video and messaging!
Why would you say "nearly 13 minutes"? Why not just say "12 minutes"?
@@destructionman1 WTF difference does it make how he phrases it?
It's like big sur being cut off from the highway due to landslides during the rainy season.
@@destructionman1 maybe it was something like 12 minutes and 50 seconds, which is closer to 13 minutes than 12 minutes.
@@destructionman1because people make up over-specific details when they are lying :)
This is why I love Veretasium. They're out here asking the real wuestions, like " how do I write off a ski trip as a business expense?"
That's why being a RUclipsr is a popular job. Tax evasion
@@paradonym Nice
@@paradonym Paying Taxes is your civic duty.
Avoiding them is your moral duty.
The number of typos in thsi comment
@@bennyl9228 You made a typo yourself. Nice
I’m an avalanche educator and apprentice mountain guide. I am only a minute in but can promise I will share this with students and am so glad you are covering what I find so fascinating
Long-time backcountry skier here-I agree this is probably the most succinct and effective informational videos on this subject. Super cool to see.
I agree, this seems to be a great intro for people just getting into the subject.
Came to the comments to say just this...Really appreciate the effort they put into getting the jargon correct and explaining the concepts and science in a succinct and digestible way. Super helpful for the new wave of backcountry users out there.
@@chrisgabrielli5032 I was so impressed with it, you can tell they had people in the industry review it and help make the concepts more digestible. Obviously it has its gaps but it is a very succinct introduction to snow
I think he missed one dangerous layer structure.
When snow piles up without weaknesses until the weight of the snow overcomes the friction.
"The best way to avoid an avalanche is not to be caught in one.", he says while being surrounded by palm trees. This is why he has one of the best science channels.
Safety first, move into the tropics!
I've survived every avalanche I've ever been in. In fact, every person alive has...😂
Why do you think he sent his producer and didn’t go himself?
I mean, God literally says "Do not kill/harm yourself. Indeed God is the Allforgiving." How hard can it be to just obey this command and not put yourself in danger or harm yourself in any way?
@@k.r.99 allforgiving unless you use your free will to not believe in him, then its endless torture for all of eternity.... lovely guy
I'm a ski patroller in Alaska, and I want to thank you for bringing attention to how deadly avalanches are. Getting a beacon, probe, and avalanche shovel are great first steps, but you must make sure you are trained and practiced with each tool.
This really cannot be emphasized enough! And it also depends heavily on the group and its dynamics. In an avalanche situation, every minute counts, and under stress there is no time to discuss how to deal with it.
When I lived in BC and got a little into touring I was so impressed with the attitude of my peers. No one would ski with you if you hadn’t done a course, no one would ski with you if they didn’t think you could dig them out.
The recount by Bruce Tremper of his narrow escape from an avalanche is a sobering reminder of the raw power of nature.
Ya, nature just presses in on all of us all the time, every second of every day. It's easy to forget about. That's dude story was nuts however.
Which part: the cascading wall of snow, or the Homo Sapien-Sapien who kept tightening bolts after a near-death experience...?
@@supersleepygrumpybearwhy did u say homo sapien..
@@ZxZNebula because that's our species?
@@supersleepygrumpybearthe blond dude who worked as veritasium producer... forgot the name
Its wild he thought, "Dang I am lucky to be alive right now.... Oh well, back to work!" Lmaooo
so you almost died and just went back to work?
"yep, pretty much."
....it's a way to deal with traumatic moments id guess
Yall are scared geeks what is he supposed to do go back to his boss and say I can't work anymore today im absolutely unharmed?
I have no hope for the future work force
How long have you lived in your parents basement @@REDWHITEBLUEFULLTHRU
@@REDWHITEBLUEFULLTHRU After a workplace injury, an incident report should be filed and a medical checkup wouldn't hurt. Sometimes injuries go unchecked and get worse over time. That can be far worse for a worker's productivity than missing a day.
I was trapped 1,5m deep in an avalanche in about 2 hours, and survived. I was lucky that my head was between two rocks that made a big enough cavity for me to breathe for those hours. The best thing i remember was the total silence and the panic that i might not beem found before it was too late. And the feeling when someone responded to my shouting. Ant then seeing the lingt when the rescuers dug me out. Sadly, two people did not survive 😥. To this day, i still have contact with the person who pulled me out. I owed my life to him.
I hope you give them all you can to make their live the best you can.
Live to the fullest!
@@AnantMall I do meet one of the men who pulled me up. The one who stayed with me all the way to the hospital in the helicopter often. Especially if i we having a BBQ.
2 hours?? Thats some crazy luck. You are blessed for sure ;)
Huge round of applause for Jakub Misiek, Fabio Albertelli, Alex Zepherin, Alex Drakoulis, Ivy Tello, David Szakaly, Leigh Williamson, and more for making the wonderful illustrations and animations of these videos! They deserve a raise. The animations and illustrations are so awesome, well done, and informative. So huge props to them 👏👏👏
Reminds me of the animations from the documentary Letter from Masanjia on prime video
Thanks for crediting them. It's great to know the names of those who make such a fantastic job, for us to enjoy these contents.
@@titan1235813 all the credits are in the description...
As someone who has been caught in what turned out to be a 3 scale avalanche on the off side of the ski slope while snow hiking during winter it is every bit majestic and killer as you might think, and the damn thing is quiet, you would feel it more than you could hear it. A shovel and alert companions were the reason why I was saved from being buried alive. I honestly felt like a rag doll in a tumble dryer while it was sweeping me off my feet and down the mountain side.
A D3 or R3?
You’re definitely a bot
I recently lost a good friend of mine in an avalanche. Thanks for making this video and informing people about this deadly danger!
My condolences. Rest in Peace 🙏🕊️
Coems 🤑🤑🤑
@@The.171 wtf bro
Thank you for sharing this. My condolences.
@@veritasium Thank you.
Thanks for being one of the best science communicators on RUclips. Channels like yours remind me why the sciences were my favorite subjects.
Thank you!
*The best
I love your channel@@veritasium
Word
I agree, I used to be more of a mark rober fan but over the past few years I have found I never watch his stuff anymore. I keep coming back here and he never disappoints. @kelsyq
2 videos within 4 days. What a treat.
Avalanche of videos
@@mindcrafter5434 🤣
A blessing
@@mindcrafter5434 Best comment on this video!!
Derek and Kendrick both cookin
This is honestly a better avalanche awareness video then anything else on youtube. Only thing left is how to interpreter layers and what those interpretations mean. Very nice job.
Thank you for this.
Side note, I work search and rescue myself but it's industrial confined space rescue. 65% of victims' deaths are would be rescuers. There's many types of rescue and disaster prevention. All of it stays with curious minds passionate about solving a problem for the greater good. The amount of science and engineering that goes into my equipment and tactics is deep.
I've worked around controlled atmosphere environments and it was always made clear that we were never to go in even to save someone else for the same reason you said. Scary how quickly you pass out without oxygen.
Are there specific reason that still human rescuers search instead of drones?
The "hero" complex is too ingrained in society... Everyone should get basic first aid training in school to at least learn _why_ they should stay away when they can't reasonably ensure their own safety.
Sounds scary. You are a hero
I would like to thank you and people like you for risking your lives to rescue my family full of engineers in the event where one of our dumb asses fucks up. cheers :)
An increase in quality AND frequency??? Unreal!! This is by far my favorite RUclips channel. Keep going Derek! You are a badass
There was a one month interval between the 37 video and the Einstein one so his frequency will keep being quite non-linear.
@@soundscape26 One month interval between videos is perfectly acceptable for me given the quality of it. I sometimes re-watch a video multiple times until I truly understand it. By that baseline, I think getting these extra videos is awesome.
I think a year ago he published 3 consecutive videos after a gap of 2 months. This is his usual pattern..
His Japanese swords video was not the best (felt like more of ooh katana than a video about science) but the last 2 have been good.
Personally, I would like to see him make one video per day!
For the non-backcountry riding viewer--avalanches can happen to hikers and snowshoers too! For sure a lot less likely, but even if you're not hiking something steep, you might be traversing a slope, on a ridge between slopes, on a cornice (hopefully not), or connected to a steep slope. It's good to check conditions even if you're "just" going for a snowshoe or winter hike, especially after a storm! Excellent video!
Exactly. Lots of easy trails are at the bottom of steep slopes, that’s where it all ends up….
Veritasium video feat Nikolai Schirmer what a time to be alive
Everyone should check out his work.
Yep, I'm a snowboarder. There's only one channel I Sub to in relation to snow sports and Nikolai's is it.
Never thought I'd live to see this crossover.
exactly what i thought haha
Nikolai Schirmers Channel might be the best one out there. Don’t feel he get enough credit in this video!
Ski instructor here, great explanation. I’ve been in light sluff, but slabs terrify me. Unless you reeeaaaallly know what you’re doing, stay on piste and don’t duck the rope.
Important note:
Most people who die in avalanches are advanced riders who get in over their heads. Beginners don’t have anything to worry about unless they are way outside their skill level
where do you instruct? west of Colorado and south of Canada: no one says piste; rather "OB" = "off-piste".
@@DrDeuteron Off piste is a European term, so likely a Euro instructor.
@@DrDeuteron He works at an indoor ski simulator, in Loveland, Colorado
it looks like a giant sloped treadmill :D
Do not want to be rude, he probably is a good skiier
Going off piste and ducking the rope are two very different concepts.
Europeans (the only set of people I know who refer to it as a piste and not a “groomer”) tend to be terrified of skiing off piste because they are afraid of the uncertainty that can come with it. But honestly if your hill is properly patrolled and you follow basic safety precautions (like not tree skiing alone) you will probably be fine. Heck the best skiing always comes from off-piste. If it’s wide open and visible, there’s no reason to not explore when it’s permitted.
Now, ducking the fence implies dropping into an area specifically roped off by patrol for good reason. Obviously you shouldn’t be going into these areas, be it because they are out of bounds or closed for avalanche control.
Beginners do worry and that keeps them alive. It is the lack of worry that kills the intermediate back country rider. It's the same with driving a car: the most dangerous time is when you think for the first time that you are a good driver.
Major props to the animation team for this one; showing how white material interacts with other similar white material (snow on snow) is quite a data-visualization challenge, and they did a great job!
As an avid backcountry boarder this is immensely helpful! Please re promote this before next ski season
If your'e already spending time in the backcountry and didn't know these ultra basics, you already messed up. Go get a certification before your next trip out.
Great job on making this video. As a full time Heli-Ski Guide and Avalanche Professional living in the mountains of Western Canada. I've taught these corses for yrs. This one was well done for the novelist and can hopefully help those who read about avalanche fatalities have a better understanding to how the snow pack develops and behaves under certain criteria.Great awareness video!
....you mean "novice"...?
You mean ' courses ' ....
Yes I meant courses (Siri)
Thx for the sp check!
This is the most accurate and concise avalanche video I have ever seen. Former professional ski patroller/snow scientist.
Wow a daredevil!
So cool you got Nikolai Shirmer!
That guy & his team do fantastic cinematography & incredible feats. So cool to include him. He's very knowledgable/experienced in this subject. Fantastic job!
Please remember that videos like these are no substitution for gaining real applicable knowledge and experience.
The AIRE-1 certification is a great place to start learning about the didn't avalanche problems, how to predict them, and how to rescue people caught up in them.
This. There was a short message about this in a caption towards the end, but this REALLY needed to be emphasized more.
As a snowmobiler, thank you for making a video about avalanche safety. I hope you were able to Inform other backcountry enthusiasts.
The long awaited sequel to These are the astoroids to worry about
Yep!
what about asteroids triggering giant avalanches. or asteroids triggering earthquakes triggering avalanches?
@@geemy9675 Or an asteroid causign a earthquake, that triggers a tsunami, which hits a mountain, which suffers an avalanche, which rolls down to the coast, causing another tsunami the other way, which pops back up the asteroid and sends it flying back out into space to attack another world?
He made one
What about an avalanche causing an asteroid to crash? Huh? Why is no one talking about this, this could be a very dangerous situation and could claim many innocent lives😢.
Absolutely commendable, realizing the importance of your work (especially so after such an ordeal), being the safety of others. He acknowledges like I do with my mistakes, learn from them and move on. I respect this man thoroughly.
The footage in this in UNREAL. Thank you so much for another great video!
I am from Austria and didn't know about this Avalanche-warfare in WW1. 😱😱😱😱
WW1 in the alps was just incredible. Would recommend the RUclips channel WW1 day by day. 9 battles over the same pass with no progress from either side. Incredible.
Yeah, the White War was insane. Well worth a deeper dive.
Mulan moment
Weird 😐 I am also Form Austria and I knew it since elementary school… well I’m from Tyrol maybe that’s the reason
I'm from Hungary and didn't know it either... all we need is an oblivious Italian guy in here now
As someone who has done some avalanche training this is an amazing introduction to the world of snow science! Awesome work!
Also love seeing a Nikolai x Veritasium crossover ❤
the amount of thumbnail changes is wild
I'm not sure I am getting these references to thumbnails - when/where? Of this video, or on the end-cards?
@@RaraoolalaThis video’s title/thumbnail is changing to test which combination causes the most traction. Watch Veritasium’s video about clickbait and he explains it
Still changing thunbnail and title daily rn 😂
Imagine caring about that tho
They were? Didn't notice at all. You must be terminally online to notice such things. Interesting
I've snowboarded for 25 years (in BC!) and this is the single best video about avalanches I have ever seen. Thank you for making this, I hope it saves some lives!
As a very hobbyist snowboarder, I once saw an avalanche team going up in Italy/Alps. It was a refreshing dose of reality that the mountains are no joke and these people work hard to keep ignorant tourists like myself safe.
My cousin died in an avalanche in march this year. He and his friend were as prepared as anyone. They had all the necesary gear and training, and they ski together all the time. Apparently, his friend triggered the avalance, but managed to escape, while my cousin wasn't so lucky. His friend used the beacon and started shoveling asap, but sadly wasn't fast enough.
His life was way too short. He was 20. I couldn't bring myself to watch this video until now with this tragic accident looming in me.
Veritasium is the channel that made me fall in love with science...Thank you for changing my life... Will always support this channel❤❤❤
Derek locked in and gave us two videos in three days what a G
A G major 7 to be precise.
@@jackelewish1568 True o7. Gotta salute a real G for that!
As a snow scientist myself, I gotta say, this video is VERY well done! The snow nerd in me especially enjoyed the second one snow dynamics. This is such an underrated field of science. Thank you for highlighting it!
8:05 Veritasium just casually shows some of the most goosebumping footage I've ever seen and moves along like it's a normal day.
i wanted to see it to the end, that was insane
Just like Bruce Tremprer getting back up and working on the bolts again.
Science fun fact:
An avalanche airbag keeps you afloat NOT because of greater buoyancy, but because of the "Brazil Nut Effect".
This means that greater objects tend to rise regardless of their density.
Just like as in a cereal bowl, the largest chunks always are on top if you shake it.
Awesome video!
Do you know what is buoyancy? do you know how big boat floats ?? do you know displacement factor in buoyancy??? do you know about size factor in buoyancy???? Do you know big size means big displacement in buoyancy????? Do you know anything about buoyancy??????
Nah it's brazil nutty effect
Is there any snow in brazil?
just like a bowling ball in a bag of rice will float when shaken as it is much larger than the grains.
and the only reason it's called "airbag" is we picked air as the cheapest of all filling materials, not for purposes of floating at all.
thanks for spreading big facts
@@SoloLevellor Feel free to educate me!
@@SoloLevellor Granular convection aka Brazil Nut Effect is different from buoyancy. Larger object can be more dense, yet it still stays on top. Smaller particles fill air slot more easily, and that's why they sink at bottom, and larger objects come on top
Great video, incredibly important that not only back country but also resort skiers understand. Having triggered and caught in one myself, and lost friends in avalanches you can't be too knowledgable or careful. Thanks!
Petr is such a good fit for ur channel, I love his energy always excited to learn and explore.
insanely high production quality as always
Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain is a great read! Glad to see it here
@ACougarSwagnum This is your second copy + paste comment I've seen. I don't know if you're doing it with evil intent or just too lazy to write a new one?
And now I have Bee Gees in my head.
Thank you.
Over sixty years ago, I wish I had seen this video before venturing into the Sierra Nevadas. Topographic maps kept me safe.
Thanks again. Chief
Thanks again for the WW1 history. The Tyroleans and Trentinos are my maternal kinfolk. Chief
2 videos within 3 days is such a treat from veritasium
Your videos almost always represent the most educational thing I’ve bumped into on any given day.
Thank you for this!
As an avid Ve content consumer and someone who has spent 100s of hours in the backcountry over the years, I have to say this video is stress inducing in a good way, there are a lot of good avalanche safety awareness sources on youtube, but this is the best overall I've seen. Another thing to mention about airbag backpacks is that they can decrease the chance of death from impacting a tree while in an avalanche.
Radio communication and group location awareness are pretty critical, you only have a short amount of time to dig out your friends.
19:49 you forgot to mention one more important "thing" - you have to take with you your absolute best buddy who also owns all those things and is trained to use them.
Nevermind, should have watch further before leaving comment 😅
Can we just appreciate 18:54?
*Gets caught in avalanche*
"Evind! Watch out! There was an avalanche!"
somehow lately it feels like veritasium just brought back the old shows we used to watch on history tv or discovery and these feel so great, i had been craving a video telling something more about black holes and relativity and i spent the whole day thinking after watvhing that one and this one is just great too im glad i found this channel
I don't live near snow and it doesn't really snow, so it's always neat to see and learn about it.
Sometimes unstoppable layers are weak and can't hold together. New snowfall, rain, or changes in temperature can tip the balance and cause a weak layer to collapse. This disrupts the unstable snowpack and gets the avalanche going .
After all , this guy get to enjoy the snow in this harsh summer ⛱️🌞
Bruce, Betsy Armstrong, Doug Fesler, Jill Fredson, several others - so helpful in making this important knowledge available and useful. Also thanks to AIARE for continued training. Countless lives have been saved in North America due to these folks and organizations. As always, hats off to the National Ski Patrol System.
10:10 Very necessary to show the words, good call 🤣
I had the joy of driving the most avalanche prone highway in USA 5x a day for work during the biggest avalanche cycle on record. It was great.
I took classes from Bruce Tremper at National Avalanche School as a ski patroller about a dozen years ago. Brilliant man.
Love that he's doing a video on snow while in a tropical location... lol "I'll send my producer..."
Bro this video has had 3 titles in the last 24 hours
And 3 thumbnails.. lol
I believe that the current one is actually 4th
A lot of youtubers change the title and thumbnail several times in the the first couple days after posting. They monitor the analytics to see what combination gets the most views and then stick with that.
So what?
For real
I took my first avalanche safety course this spring and I really appreciate how your video covered a large portion of what we learned. One thing I didn't realize before the course is that airbags aren't always the best tool in the back country. If you deploy an airbag you're committing to riding the avalanche and your possibility of self-arresting is gone. Stay safe!
Just wanted to give much appreciation for Petr, it's really heartwarming seeing how much work he puts into his trips (especially in Japan), he's always so humble yet very interested in what the expert has to say, it's great seeing him again!
Haha, never expected to see Nikolai Schirmer in a Vertasium video but I'm glad it happened :D
Even if true, it's a great thing this video was made to give a wider range of people at least a basic understanding about avalanches. In Europe most of the terrain isn't avalanche controlled and you wouldn't believe how many clueless people still go out there.
Only a few months ago, a friend (and avalache safety instructor / mountaineering guide) from Whistler area was caught and killed in an avalanche during ice climbing near Roger's pass. I believe it was a wind slab and caught the party by surprise. Thank you for the informative coverage of this often overlooked topic, and it was a particularly emotional video
It's been 7 minutes and most of the comments say how amazing the video and the end is. Bots on RUclips are going crazy
Not sure but I think Veritasium has early access for his patreon supporters
Bots are good for the scammers
Two legendary videos back to back within a week... ❤❤❤
3:53 This animation is beautiful, props to the animator.
5:11 “I was raised by my father” 💯💯🔥🔥🔥🔥🥶🥶🥶 I felt that quote
Bro chill with the thumbnails, I definitely gonna watch it, you don't have to keep changing it
Thats how algorithms work foo
I HIGHLY recommend Bruce's book. It should be read by everyone who recreates in the winter backcountry. I've taken to re-reading it every season.
Hey Derek! Just wanted to say that i really appreciate the work you are doing. Pls keep it up!
Damn. I was not expecting to be blessed so early in May by getting 2 videos within 3 days 💯
Honestly… the quality of this channel just never disappoints. I think it’s probably the best channel on RUclips.
the original title was: "These are the avalanches to look out for" and the thumbnail had a red circle encompassing a visual avalance of falling snow, with an arrow pointing at it with the caption 'not this!'
The title and the thumbnail have changed so many times in the last few days, I get why but it kind of puts me off wanting to watch
this same thing happened with his einstein video recently. the alternate title was something like these are the asteroid's to watch out for with the same red circle you describe. lol
@@TheShortScottishGuyI know why it puts me off. I'm going to watch a video from this channel because I like the content but if the title and thumbnail describe what's in the video in a click bait manner I'm put off because I know that's not what I'll find in the video
I think this video is not performing well for some reason. Veritasium has changed the thumbnails many times and title too now. But this video is a banger. Good job man!
Great video! A couple things I would like to add in. I believe that the air bubble doesn’t always happen, the avalanche can stuff your mouth full of snow since you’re probably screaming, so when digging someone out the first thing you want to do is find their face and make sure its clear of snow so they can breathe again. Another thing, at the end of the video you mentioned that if you’re going into the backcountry to always bring probe beacon and shovel. But you should also have mentioned to never go alone ALWAYS have someone with you who also has all the gear so they can dig you out or you dig them out. The gear is useless if you get buried alone. Also, when with others, when you’re crossing avalanche terrain or underneath it, go through one person at time, so the one of you is out of harms way keeping an eye on the one in the avalanche terrain.
6:23 Casually in a t-shirt shoveling snow.
lol Veritasium is testing to see how many titles can they change in 24hr
They made a video about this a while back, it's a decent way to A-B test for best title for viewer engagement lol. Always thought that was interesting
Veritasium is quickly becoming my #1 channel on YT. SO many fantastic videos!
Every single year of high school sciences your videos have been used in class
Teachers should be called instructors.
guys Derek just changed the thumbnail within an hour 😂
As a ski filmmaker myself I gotta say this video is amazing. Really well done explaining how avalanches work
Babe wake up another veritasium video just dropped
Only if this could be real
@uddhav.m 💀💀
The 5th thumbnail/title change got me good job lol
You sent your PRODUCER!?! to perform field research??
Either, job qualifications have changed drastically, or the Veritasium Crew are a TRULY dedicated lot. So admirable
Wait are we not gonna talk about 8:06 when that guy out-snowboarded an avalanche?
bro has changed the title and thumbnail more times than me as shapeshifter I did when i used to play amogn us
Who?
As an avalanche professional, I didn’t expect this video to be great. I’m happily surprised. Nice work.
Title and thumbnail changed like 5 times😂 Even his channel page shows 2 different
Thats the kind of 'talk' we need
Great job.....❤
when on a snowboarding camp in Switzerland I remember hearing the controlled detonations near the slopes going off in the morning. So cool
Producers: "We're doing a video on snow avalanches."
Derek: "I'm gonna work remote for this one. I'll upload my video when I'm done."
23:26 says the palm trees in the background
Ver is getting too much heat. As a semi-pro skier, I think it’s an awesome video. Thank you kindly, and keep it up Ver. Avi training and knowledge is very important.
Even though it’s basic, almost no one has real avi training. Learn the mountain, and then ski it.
Here before Derek changes the thumbnail for the 4th time 😂
17:51 ”Jævla bra sted da” is Norwegian for ”F**king great place, huh"
haha, skrev nesten samme kommentar rett etter deg. Great minds think alike
@@0hubi Kor tror du han er fra? Trøndelag?
As someone who lives in the tropics, this is incredibly educational, as I know very little about snow or mountains, let alone "surface hoar." It also sorta reminds me of rip currents you get in the ocean, and the solution is sorta similar, if a little more nuanced; head sideways and always maintain "up" when possible are your best bets to not drowning.
And here I am listening closely, watching from a tropical country. 😂
What's your day been like?
All your episodes are great, but I particularly enjoyed this one. Science wrapped in an appealing subculture. Keep it up. I do agree with another comment I saw though. Beyond just having the gear, courses, education, and learning from experienced backcountry enthusiasts is absolutely vital.
How many more thumbnail iterations are you going to go through?