A GoPro Camera captured the high-intensity moment when skier Ritchie Nagle triggered an avalanche while skiing in Banff, Alberta.
In the video above you can see Nagle smoothly skiing down the slope in Alberta before running into rougher-appearing snow. As Nagle skies through the rough patch, the packed snow loosens and chunks of snow can be seen scattering below. The skier is now on top of an avalanche and barrels down the hill, barely making it out before the snowy mass makes him fall.
Nagle told the Daily Mail that he had a hard time staying upright throughout the ordeal and that his friend, who is seen at the end of the video, had just skied the same slope moments before without issue. Nagle says the he hopes he never has to encounter another avalanche again and that he knows he is “very lucky” to have made it out unscathed.
“Hopefully I don’t have to do that again… I was very lucky.”
Other skiers have commented on Nagle’s video noting the skill required to keep upright in a situation such as an avalanche. Nagle points out that the adrenaline rush was the same as he experienced while skydiving.
“I went skydiving for the first time last summer and my heart was pounding during this avalanche just like it did when I jumped from the plane.”
Nagle also points out that he knows the dangers an avalanche can pose. Therefore, he says he carries safety gear on his person each time he skies. Fortunately, he didn’t have to use the gear during this near miss incident. Though the avalanche doesn’t look like much from afar, the snow can reach an astonishing speed of 80 mph in just five seconds, making skiing incredibly difficult.
