Wild Video Footage Captures A Snowboarder In An Avalanche

Unbelievable video footage shows the moment when a snowboarder was caught in an avalanche and sent tumbling down a mountain.

Blake Nielson was on the slopes at Big Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake City, Utah over the weekend when he suddenly found himself in the middle of the frightening ordeal.

The wild scene is now being relived as Nielson was able to capture it all on video through a camera that was mounted on the front of his helmet.

"I'M SLIDING!"

I mean this video is WILD.

It's almost like a damn movie or a video game that we're watching - except it's a real human.

Nielson's panicked voice can be heard throughout the footage as he is radioing to his friend that he "is sliding," down the mountain. He's literally doing a play-by-play of what is happening!

Luckily, he was able to remain "on top," of the snow by doing swimming motions with his hands and repeatedly kicking his board to keep him from going under.

In his incident report with the Utah Avalanche Center, Nielson wrote that he believes he was swept about 300 feet before coming to a complete stop. The avalanche however continued for another 1,300 feet or so.

Miraculously, Nielson was unharmed and is sharing his experience for anyone who may be hitting the slopes sometime soon to make sure that they take all the necessary precautions when on a mountain.

MULTIPLE PEOPLE DIED LAST YEAR IN AVALANCHES

Nielson is warning people to make sure they pay attention to wind gusts while on the mountain. He said that despite his testing of the snow structure ahead of time, the wind became so strong that it eventually dislodged the snow and caused the avalanche. He's urging other snowboarders and skiers to "respect the wind," because as the video shows - avalanches are no joke.

Although rare, avalanches are something to be aware of anytime one is on the slopes. Last year 17 people died from them in the United States alone. At another mountain in Utah on the same day, two skiers were also caught in an avalanche. Luckily they were unharmed.

Written by
Mike “Gunz” Gunzelman has been involved in the sports and media industry for over a decade. He’s also a risk taker - the first time he ever had sushi was from a Duane Reade in Penn Station in NYC.