Drone Pilot Catches Massive Avalanche In British Columbia Mountains

A drone pilot managed to catch a massive avalanche on video while shooting panoramic scenes of the mountains.

According to the Government of Canada, an avalanche can be caused by a variety of factors, including weather conditions, human activity, and the terrain itself. In the end, it comes down to four factors: a steep slope, snow cover, a weak layer in the snow cover, and a trigger.

Avalanches can be incredibly dangerous and destructive and can cause significant harm to both people and property. They can be triggered by something as small as a single skier or snowboarder, or they can be caused by a larger disturbance such as a thunderstorm or earthquake.

While not particularly rare in mountainous regions, especially during the winter months, avalanches can be fascinating to witness and thrilling to catch on camera.

Recently, drone pilot Paul of Camera Butter managed to catch FPV footage of an avalanche in the mountains of British Columbia.

Paul shared the footage on YouTube, explaining that he was “long-range mountain surfing” on Vancouver Island with a long-range drone in hopes of getting some “nice cinematic footage.”

He said, “There was a ‘severe avalanche warning’ a couple of days prior, but things seemed to have calmed down. Just when were were getting ready to leave, I looked up and saw a huge avalanche coming down the mountain right in front of us! I scrambled to get a battery on my long range FPV drone, fumbled with my GoPro, and booked it out towards the mountain as fast as I possibly could.”

Thankfully, he got there “just in time to see an absolutely scary amount of snow from an avalanche hitting the bottom of the mountain.”

“What looks like water in this video is actually a huge amount of snow, with some chucks as big as my truck,” he added.

If you’d like to see the footage for yourself, be sure to check out the video below: