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!
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 👏👏👏
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 :)
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.
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!
@@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
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.
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.
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 ❤
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
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.
@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?
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.
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.
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
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
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!
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
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 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.
I was caught in an avalanche a couple years ago in the backcountry near Roger’s Pass British Columbia. It was a slab avalanche. I was buried and drug about 250 meters down hill. Luckily my board got hung up on a tree and it held me for long enough for the slide to pass by and partially unbury me. I will never forget the feeling of being swallowed. It went completely dark and silent. I couldn’t even feel the fact that I was still moving
I think the disarming thing about avalanches is how peaceful they look in most videos. Unlike a tornado, or hurricane, or volcano or even earthquake, which all sound and appear just as violent and terrifying as they actually are, from a typical filming distance an avalanche just looks like a slowish, serene cloud quietly rolling down the mountain. Like, you might _understand_ its power on a logical level, but you don't really _feel_ it. So people tend to underestimate them until they're close enough to one to really "get" the danger
The Yungay story is crazy. Worth the visit if you're going to Huaraz. They have some of the remnants of the old town and you can see exactly where the mudslide came through.
A little late for a comment but this was an unusually accurate description of avalanches. Not unusual for Veritasium, maybe, but unusual from the non-industry perspective. Thanks for doing such a great job. Just one thing, though. There definitely is such a thing as a wet snow slab avalanche.
He has a video on the subject. One of his old videos didn't get much traction until he changed the thumbnail and/ or title. He is trying to find the best thumbnail and title to get the most views. It's not to trick people. It's to optimize views.
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!
I know this is kind of irrelevant but I found this video more interesting because when snowmobiling you wanna make sure u have a solid base for ur track to grip onto, making ppl will go out after a large fresh snow storm but the snow is so loosely packed and no dense that your track doesn’t grip and you just bury your self, like a car with tires on sand. One time we had warm conditions for a few days before freezing temps, your feet would break this layer but once you were driving fast enough your snow mobile skis and track would ride on top, giving u a very smooth ride but if you slow down quick or take a sharp turn ur ski can go under this hard pack making layers of hard pack/ice go up your hood and hit u in the face. This is why u always keep your face shield closed
I once had the pleasure of going up to the base camp of the 8126 m Nanga Parbat, in Pakistani Kashmir. One of the base camps was attacked by the Taliban in 2013, because a large concentration of foreigner mountaineers were rumoured to be there. The local guides were totally chill when climbing the lower reaches of the valley, even though it was raining heavily, and falling rocks and mudslides were happening along the entirety of the road, which sits on a 1000+ m tall cliff. It was hard to tell the sound of thunder from the sound of the falling rocks. As we climbed higher, the clouds cleared and the sun came out. We witnessed a couple of avalanches, but it didn't faze the guides either. Finally, while we were cooking at a midway camp on the slopes of a wooded valley, the guide suddenly dropped the pans and dragged us to higher ground as fast as our legs could carry. In the end, the avalanche bypassed our camp by a wide margin, and it seemed less terrifying than another avalanche we saw in a broad valley, but the locals surely know better
Wow, I was in Yungay less than a week before watching. You can go to the place where the town used to be but basically *nothing* remained except for the town cemitery, which stood on higher ground (saving around a 100 people who happened to be there). The earthquake lasted for about 45 seconds and caused displacement of lots of rocks (and ice) on the Huascaran mountain (the tallest in Peru), which stood a few kilometers from town. The avalanche lasted about 4 minutes and buried the entire town. It's absolutely terrifying to think about.
Thank you Derek and to your team. Your efforts are surely gonna propel the world forward with such informative yet understandable videos, so many more people are gonna learn easily from it and inspire them to do more for humanity. I feel like you are using the responsibility of having great looks and intelligence to give back in this way, even if you may not feel like doing it. I appreciate your efforts man!
He did a video about this. See the video "Click bait is Unreasonably Effective." The title will probably change in the future, but that's the current title.
I grew up in Anchorage, and we used to go out to Alyeska in Girdwood (about an hour's drive), and every couple of years we'd get turned around because an avalanche had blocked the road.
Vertasium: "We're sending you to a ski resort for the next video" Petr: "Heck yeah!" Vertasium: "It's a video on avalanches and their dangers/deadliness" Petr: "... Oh- uhh... Let's go??"
This is called AB testing, a digital marketing technique. I think TH-cam allows you to give multiple versions of titles and thumbnails at the same time and later you could use the statistics to select the best one. It’s not changed multiple times. It’s just the TH-cam algorithm decided to show you a different one each time.
I studied in Innsbruck and it was always kind of eerie sitting in the library during cosy snowfall hearing big thumps of explosions to protect the city from avalanches
Excellent, as usual. Big fan, especially now, as an aspiring back-country skier and have greater knowledge of the seriousness of the necessary study. And how often the absence of that precious O2 spells doom. And OMG, I would not have believe how a remote trigger could happen like was shown, that far away! As a past technical SCUBA diver where cave diving especially takes a toll if air supply isn't rigorously managed, and my gosh, how many other times where lack of caution causes a person to succumb virtually instantly where O2 has been depleted - a maritime family where a son entered a closed barge interior where rust had depleted the O2, then the father then another brother both following in a rescue attempt before the realization of why they were dropping. I even heard of a guy cleaning a septic tank stuck his head in to see the interior and instantly succumbed.
"I was tightening bolts because our load test was that day..." Boys, we gotta get those bolts tightened, the inspector is coming today. But sir, it's avalanche season. I've tightened bolts in worse! If we don't pass inspection, we'll lose our jobs! If you don't want to do it, send Temper!
When I took avalanche training the instructor told us that "Statistically that the more you know about avalanches the more likely you are to be caught in one". This being that only people who go play in this area learn about avalanches; it was a funny statement. But now Derek has massively increased the chance of being caught in an avalanche for every single one of his subscribers. I'm not sure this is a good business plan.
Avalance backpacks also have other benefits. My dad survived a 33m drop while skiing probably due to landing on the airbag. Thank god for the advancements in safety technology in recent years!
The animation and illustration style is just so cool, I like how it just looks a little bit like a sketchbook drawing, and yet still has a lot of motion and action
geez. i never realized how complex and dynamic a few layers of snow could be. being in Indiana, I'm no stranger to snow, it's just wild that all these factors and systems interact in such complex ways. and all I've ever noticed was a bunch of cold white frozen water in my yard
There's also something called "RECCO", it's passive system where special plate that reflects radio waves emmited by detector. According to their website over 900 ski resorts have these detectors.
Next Veritasium video about space, they send Veritasium producer Peter on the next resupply mission to the ISS if it hasn't already been decommissioned by then. Raising enough money to keep it in orbit for a few more years!
Have gone for a couple rides myself & witnessed one of our guides set off a size 3. Thankfully it left him behind but one of his skis was lost. He was in the process of digging a pit close to a large rock at the top of a slope we considered skiing next. I remember him calling over the radio that he didn't have a good feeling about the slope. We were taking a break after skiing the adjacent slope when he triggered it. It broke about a meter above him & although it took his pack & skis, left him behind. Similar to an incident I had where it broke & left me behind. I had paused before skiing the gully wondering if it was a wise move. After one turn it broke, knocked me off my feet, left me behind. The path of the guide triggered slide partially covered the ski tracks we had just made. It was heading our way but a bench above us stopped it from reaching us. The fracture line was over 100 meters & close to a meter thick in places. I skinned up with the other guide to help collect gear & try to find the lost ski. There were chunks of snow the size of a VW beetle near the bottom & it set up hard. We radioed back to the lodge & had someone bring up another set of skis for our guide.
"The best way to survive an avalanche is to not be caught in one." (Spoken on a beautiful tropical day, surrounded by palm trees- displaying the best defense strategy possible)
Battery powered fan airbags are really dangerous. Studies show that the electronics in the backpack hoder the functionallity of the beacon, which will hinder your chance of survival. This mostly applies to the people in search mode and can be mitigated by taking the backpack off but people don't reallise this fact.
Amazing video, thank you. This is the best summary of avy knowledge I've seen. I'm a huge snowboarder, mostly Colorado resorts. Gotta understand these dangers.
If you go into the Backcountry, definitely carry the right equipment, but be also you should strongly consider an avalanche course such as AIARE. And make sure that you ski with a partner that has good gear and training. Remember that their gear is for you and vice versa.
Y'all should also include training in your list of things to bring into the backcountry. Beacons are not always the most intuitive devices, and reading an avalanche forecast can only take you so far. I will not travel in the backcountry unless I have at least one other American Institute of Avalanche research and education (AIARE) certified person.
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 :)
2 videos within 3 days?? Hell yeah
Normal
This one is probably kinda boring tho
Hail yeah
E
Bro getting full time
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
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...
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 :)
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
As a snowmobiler, thank you for making a video about avalanche safety. I hope you were able to Inform other backcountry enthusiasts.
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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 ❤
3:53 This animation is beautiful, props to the animator.
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
Veritasium is the channel that made me fall in love with science...Thank you for changing my life... Will always support this channel❤❤❤
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
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.
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.
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
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
Your videos almost always represent the most educational thing I’ve bumped into on any given day.
Thank you for this!
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.
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 😅
when on a snowboarding camp in Switzerland I remember hearing the controlled detonations near the slopes going off in the morning. So cool
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
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
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!
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
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."
The 5th thumbnail/title change got me good job lol
Wow, a veritasium video where the top 10 comments aren't bashing the sponsor. Proud of you guys.
Hey Derek! Just wanted to say that i really appreciate the work you are doing. Pls keep it up!
Babe wake up another veritasium video just dropped
Only if this could be real
@uddhav.m 💀💀
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.
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 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.
love how the title and thumbnail changed like 10 times already :D
I was caught in an avalanche a couple years ago in the backcountry near Roger’s Pass British Columbia. It was a slab avalanche. I was buried and drug about 250 meters down hill. Luckily my board got hung up on a tree and it held me for long enough for the slide to pass by and partially unbury me. I will never forget the feeling of being swallowed. It went completely dark and silent. I couldn’t even feel the fact that I was still moving
I just noticed you changed the name of the video😅
What was it before?
I think the disarming thing about avalanches is how peaceful they look in most videos. Unlike a tornado, or hurricane, or volcano or even earthquake, which all sound and appear just as violent and terrifying as they actually are, from a typical filming distance an avalanche just looks like a slowish, serene cloud quietly rolling down the mountain. Like, you might _understand_ its power on a logical level, but you don't really _feel_ it. So people tend to underestimate them until they're close enough to one to really "get" the danger
The Yungay story is crazy. Worth the visit if you're going to Huaraz. They have some of the remnants of the old town and you can see exactly where the mudslide came through.
A little late for a comment but this was an unusually accurate description of avalanches. Not unusual for Veritasium, maybe, but unusual from the non-industry perspective. Thanks for doing such a great job. Just one thing, though. There definitely is such a thing as a wet snow slab avalanche.
Bro keeps changing thumbnail and title every 2 hours and thinks we wont notice
He has a video on the subject. One of his old videos didn't get much traction until he changed the thumbnail and/ or title. He is trying to find the best thumbnail and title to get the most views. It's not to trick people. It's to optimize views.
And for many of us to discover this topic and video...
It's pretty standard algorithm farming business, I'm surprised you haven't noticed this is common practice across popular TH-cam channels.
I wont even read the thumbnail, if its veritasium video I will watch it
@@sleddjason technically hes tricking people TO optimize views
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!
I know this is kind of irrelevant but I found this video more interesting because when snowmobiling you wanna make sure u have a solid base for ur track to grip onto, making ppl will go out after a large fresh snow storm but the snow is so loosely packed and no dense that your track doesn’t grip and you just bury your self, like a car with tires on sand. One time we had warm conditions for a few days before freezing temps, your feet would break this layer but once you were driving fast enough your snow mobile skis and track would ride on top, giving u a very smooth ride but if you slow down quick or take a sharp turn ur ski can go under this hard pack making layers of hard pack/ice go up your hood and hit u in the face. This is why u always keep your face shield closed
As a ski filmmaker myself I gotta say this video is amazing. Really well done explaining how avalanches work
I once had the pleasure of going up to the base camp of the 8126 m Nanga Parbat, in Pakistani Kashmir. One of the base camps was attacked by the Taliban in 2013, because a large concentration of foreigner mountaineers were rumoured to be there. The local guides were totally chill when climbing the lower reaches of the valley, even though it was raining heavily, and falling rocks and mudslides were happening along the entirety of the road, which sits on a 1000+ m tall cliff. It was hard to tell the sound of thunder from the sound of the falling rocks. As we climbed higher, the clouds cleared and the sun came out. We witnessed a couple of avalanches, but it didn't faze the guides either. Finally, while we were cooking at a midway camp on the slopes of a wooded valley, the guide suddenly dropped the pans and dragged us to higher ground as fast as our legs could carry. In the end, the avalanche bypassed our camp by a wide margin, and it seemed less terrifying than another avalanche we saw in a broad valley, but the locals surely know better
This video has a different thumbnail every time I open TH-cam.
Wow, I was in Yungay less than a week before watching. You can go to the place where the town used to be but basically *nothing* remained except for the town cemitery, which stood on higher ground (saving around a 100 people who happened to be there). The earthquake lasted for about 45 seconds and caused displacement of lots of rocks (and ice) on the Huascaran mountain (the tallest in Peru), which stood a few kilometers from town. The avalanche lasted about 4 minutes and buried the entire town. It's absolutely terrifying to think about.
Thank you Derek and to your team. Your efforts are surely gonna propel the world forward with such informative yet understandable videos, so many more people are gonna learn easily from it and inspire them to do more for humanity. I feel like you are using the responsibility of having great looks and intelligence to give back in this way, even if you may not feel like doing it. I appreciate your efforts man!
That advice at the end saved me from thousands, maybe millions of avalanches!
I don't know if its just me or this video had it's thumbnails and title changed a few times over the past 2 days.
TH-cam allows provides creators mechanisms with statistics for multiple titles and title slide.
He did a video about this. See the video "Click bait is Unreasonably Effective." The title will probably change in the future, but that's the current title.
Always excited when I see you upload a new video.
I grew up in Anchorage, and we used to go out to Alyeska in Girdwood (about an hour's drive), and every couple of years we'd get turned around because an avalanche had blocked the road.
"when in the backcountry, have a shovel, probe, and beacon..." and, most importantly, a buddy!
You're still going?? I dont think I have ever seen you change the title and thumbnail of a video as often as you have this one.
Veritasium is quickly becoming my #1 channel on YT. SO many fantastic videos!
I find it kinda cringe when youtubers change titles and thumbnails to try and get more views. Still, good video
Sometimes waking up early and getting to the hill before it opens to see the avalanches getting blasted is more fun than the day of riding
Vertasium: "We're sending you to a ski resort for the next video"
Petr: "Heck yeah!"
Vertasium: "It's a video on avalanches and their dangers/deadliness"
Petr: "... Oh- uhh... Let's go??"
Thank you for the great video and thank you for portraying the professional ski patrollers and forecasters in such a positive way!
Why did you change the thumbnail AND the title three times over?????
To better target the audience and the TH-cam algorithm
@@lucien7904sometimes I just want to watch a video later, not because I like the new title or thumbnail better...
We're at four now
This is called AB testing, a digital marketing technique. I think TH-cam allows you to give multiple versions of titles and thumbnails at the same time and later you could use the statistics to select the best one. It’s not changed multiple times. It’s just the TH-cam algorithm decided to show you a different one each time.
I mean this truly is an incredible feature but for us viewers it's outmost trippy and hella confusing so I'm not even sure what to make of this one.
I studied in Innsbruck and it was always kind of eerie sitting in the library during cosy snowfall hearing big thumps of explosions to protect the city from avalanches
You changed the thumbnail
I LOVE that when he appears for VO there are palm trees behind him 😂
16:29 That is the best shot you have ever done on this channel par none. It reminds me of lava. Astounding!
Excellent, as usual. Big fan, especially now, as an aspiring back-country skier and have greater knowledge of the seriousness of the necessary study. And how often the absence of that precious O2 spells doom. And OMG, I would not have believe how a remote trigger could happen like was shown, that far away!
As a past technical SCUBA diver where cave diving especially takes a toll if air supply isn't rigorously managed, and my gosh, how many other times where lack of caution causes a person to succumb virtually instantly where O2 has been depleted - a maritime family where a son entered a closed barge interior where rust had depleted the O2, then the father then another brother both following in a rescue attempt before the realization of why they were dropping. I even heard of a guy cleaning a septic tank stuck his head in to see the interior and instantly succumbed.
Listening to this while hiking to backcountry ski 😅
I love how he’s talking about avalanches right in front of palm trees
"I was tightening bolts because our load test was that day..."
Boys, we gotta get those bolts tightened, the inspector is coming today.
But sir, it's avalanche season.
I've tightened bolts in worse! If we don't pass inspection, we'll lose our jobs! If you don't want to do it, send Temper!
When I took avalanche training the instructor told us that "Statistically that the more you know about avalanches the more likely you are to be caught in one". This being that only people who go play in this area learn about avalanches; it was a funny statement. But now Derek has massively increased the chance of being caught in an avalanche for every single one of his subscribers. I'm not sure this is a good business plan.
Incredible video. Never thought that there’s so much to learn about avalanches! Thanks!
Avalance backpacks also have other benefits. My dad survived a 33m drop while skiing probably due to landing on the airbag. Thank god for the advancements in safety technology in recent years!
11:38.
Why the bottom of snow "sublimates" and not turning into liquid and settle down?
The animation and illustration style is just so cool, I like how it just looks a little bit like a sketchbook drawing, and yet still has a lot of motion and action
geez. i never realized how complex and dynamic a few layers of snow could be. being in Indiana, I'm no stranger to snow, it's just wild that all these factors and systems interact in such complex ways.
and all I've ever noticed was a bunch of cold white frozen water in my yard
It's not just a matter of checking out the AVALANCHE FORECAST it's also making a SNOWPIT, 3 OF THEM ARE IDEAL 10-15 FEET APART FROM ONE ANOTHER.
There's also something called "RECCO", it's passive system where special plate that reflects radio waves emmited by detector. According to their website over 900 ski resorts have these detectors.
This can and will literally save people's lives. Great video today!!!
Next Veritasium video about space, they send Veritasium producer Peter on the next resupply mission to the ISS if it hasn't already been decommissioned by then. Raising enough money to keep it in orbit for a few more years!
Veritasium producers are having all the fun
This channel is so good it makes me interested in a video about avalanches
I’ve never seen snow 😅
Never thought I'd enjoy an avalanche video but this, it left me wanting for more😂
Have gone for a couple rides myself & witnessed one of our guides set off a size 3. Thankfully it left him behind but one of his skis was lost. He was in the process of digging a pit close to a large rock at the top of a slope we considered skiing next. I remember him calling over the radio that he didn't have a good feeling about the slope. We were taking a break after skiing the adjacent slope when he triggered it. It broke about a meter above him & although it took his pack & skis, left him behind. Similar to an incident I had where it broke & left me behind. I had paused before skiing the gully wondering if it was a wise move. After one turn it broke, knocked me off my feet, left me behind. The path of the guide triggered slide partially covered the ski tracks we had just made. It was heading our way but a bench above us stopped it from reaching us. The fracture line was over 100 meters & close to a meter thick in places. I skinned up with the other guide to help collect gear & try to find the lost ski. There were chunks of snow the size of a VW beetle near the bottom & it set up hard. We radioed back to the lodge & had someone bring up another set of skis for our guide.
Love your videos. Idea for new one: physics of motorcycle death wobble
Moves to Australia, talks about avalanches! 😎😎 Awesome video once again.
2 videos within 3 days?? Hell yeah
Feedback: new thumbnail and title are better than the orignal
"The best way to survive an avalanche is to not be caught in one." (Spoken on a beautiful tropical day, surrounded by palm trees- displaying the best defense strategy possible)
this page is a lifesaver
Battery powered fan airbags are really dangerous. Studies show that the electronics in the backpack hoder the functionallity of the beacon, which will hinder your chance of survival. This mostly applies to the people in search mode and can be mitigated by taking the backpack off but people don't reallise this fact.
Amazing video, thank you. This is the best summary of avy knowledge I've seen.
I'm a huge snowboarder, mostly Colorado resorts. Gotta understand these dangers.
If you go into the Backcountry, definitely carry the right equipment, but be also you should strongly consider an avalanche course such as AIARE. And make sure that you ski with a partner that has good gear and training. Remember that their gear is for you and vice versa.
bc skier here, fantastic video.
Y'all should also include training in your list of things to bring into the backcountry. Beacons are not always the most intuitive devices, and reading an avalanche forecast can only take you so far. I will not travel in the backcountry unless I have at least one other American Institute of Avalanche research and education (AIARE) certified person.
Animators had their work cut out for them this time, well done!
Thanks for this clear video! This video is a true inspiration to make one ourselves in Dutch, in the future!
Oh wow, I live in Whistler and would've loved to meet you. Followed you ever since "Twisting the Dragon's Tail"
Check with your group that no one has some other transmitters going (watches bluetooth etc). Those may interfere with transceivers sometimes.