Veritasium - 2024-05-03
Avalanches are beautiful, majestic, and completely terrifying – this is a video all about the science of avalanches. Head to https://brilliant.org/veritasium to start your free 30-day trial, and get 20% off an annual premium subscription. A massive thank you to everyone at Whistler Blackcomb for making this shoot happen – Dane Gergovich, David Iles, Alastair Collis, Erin Taylor, and everyone else on the ski patrol team. Thank you for keeping us safe! A massive thank you to Bruce Tremper, Niko Schirmer, and Mark Smiley for their expertise and help with this video. We are truly grateful for your time and expertise. Check out Niko's channel here -- it's easily some of the best skiing content on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@Nikolai_Schirmer If you have any intention of going into the backcountry, you have to read Bruce’s book – Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. It’s the Bible for this stuff, and the book that inspired us to make this video. ▀▀▀ Special thanks to our Patreon supporters! Join the community to help us keep our videos free, forever: https://ve42.co/PatreonDE Adam Foreman, Anton Ragin, Balkrishna Heroor, Bertrand Serlet, Bill Linder, Blake Byers, Burt Humburg, Chris Harper, Dave Kircher, David Johnston, Evgeny Skvortsov, Garrett Mueller, Gnare, gpoly, I. H., John H. Austin, Jr., john kiehl, Josh Hibschman, Juan Benet, KeyWestr, Kyi, Lee Redden, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Martin, Matthias Wrobel, Max Paladino, Meekay, meg noah, Michael Krugman, Orlando Bassotto, Paul Peijzel, Richard Sundvall, Sam Lutfi, Stephen Wilcox, Tj Steyn, Toni , TTST, Ubiquity Ventures, wolfee If you’re looking for a molecular modeling kit, try Snatoms, a kit I invented where the atoms snap together magnetically - https://ve42.co/SnatomsV ▀▀▀ References: Tremper, B. (2001). Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. Mountaineers Books. - https://ve42.co/Tremper2001 McClung, D. & Schaerer, P. (2006). The Avalanche Handbook. Mountaineers Books. - https://ve42.co/McClung2006 Hopfinger, E. J. (1983). Snow Avalanche Motion and Related Phenomena. Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics. - https://ve42.co/Hopfinger1983 Schweizer, J. et al. (2003). Snow avalanche formation. Reviews of Geophysics. - https://ve42.co/Schweizer2003 Schweizer, J. et al. (2008). Review of spatial variability of snowpack properties and its importance for avalanche formation. Cold Regions Science and Technology. - https://ve42.co/Schweizer2008 Jamieson, B. (2006). Formation of refrozen snowpack layers and their role in slab avalanche release. Reviews of Geophysics. - https://ve42.co/Jamieson2006 Schweizer, J. et al. (2016). Avalance release 101. International Snow Science Workshop Proceeding. - https://ve42.co/Schweizer2016 Schweizer, J. (2008). Snow avalanche formation and dynamics. Cold Regions Science and Technology. - https://ve42.co/Schweizer2008-2 Images & Video: Skiing and snowboarding footage by Niko Schirmer - https://ve42.co/NikoYT World's Biggest Avalanche (c)Thom Goddard/All Star Films Ltd 2015. Thank you to the Thom Goddard Channel for use - https://ve42.co/ThomGoddard Newspaper clippings via Newspapers.com – https://ve42.co/Newspapers Video of a snow slab avalanche via Trottet, B. et al. (2022). Transition from sub-Rayleigh anticrack to supershear crack propagation in snow avalanches. Nature Physics. - https://ve42.co/Trottet2022 Remote Triggered Avalanche via Henry’s Avalanche Talk - Remote Triggering of an Avalanche WW1 images via Brugnara, Y. et al. (2016). December 1916: Deadly Wartime Weather. Geographica Bernensia - https://ve42.co/Brugnara2016 Major Avalanches via Geomorphological Hazards - https://ve42.co/MajorAvi White Friday avalanche illustration via Avalanches WIllow - https://ve42.co/WhiteFriday White Friday aftermath via Lost In History - https://ve42.co/AviGraves Field mass on Marmolada via Austrian National Library - https://ve42.co/AviMass Yungay disaster via NOAA - https://ve42.co/Yungay Yungay aftermath via AMC Museum - https://ve42.co/YungayAMC Bruce Tremper Image via utavy - https://ve42.co/BruceTPic Snowpack via SnowStudies.org - https://ve42.co/SnowStudies Snowpack via Avalanche.org - https://ve42.co/SnowPackAvi Snow crystals via Reiweger, I. (2011). Failure of weak snow layers. ETH. - https://ve42.co/Reiweger2011 ▀▀▀ Directed by Petr Lebedev Written by Petr Lebedev and Derek Muller Edited by Peter Nelson (Additional editing by James Horsley) Animated by Jakub Misiek, Fabio Albertelli, Alex Zepherin, and Alex Drakoulis Additional Research by Gregor Čavloviċ Filmed by Petr Lebedev and Ryan Regehr FPV Drone by Mitch Winton Produced by Petr Lebedev, Derek Muller, Han Evans, Giovanna Utichi, Rob Beasley Spence, Emily Taylor and Gregor Čavloviċ Thumbnail by Ren Hurley and Peter Sheppard Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images and Pond5 Music from Epidemic Sound
2 videos within 3 days?? Hell yeah
Normal
This one is probably kinda boring tho
Hail yeah
E
Bro getting full time
Avalanche scientist and passionate backcountry skier from Switzerland here.
First of all, thanks a lot for the well-produced, animated and researched video!
One small detail however: Technically, avalanche airbags do not increase your survival chances by increasing your buoyancy but thanks to 'granular convection' aka 'the Brazil nut effect':
Avalanches are a granular flow process, in which bigger particles tend move to the surface while smaller particles get buried deeper down since they fall into smaller spaces. The airbag simply makes the skier a 'bigger particle', increasing your chances of ending up at the surface. (Even with the inflated airbag, your density is still higher than the one of typical dry avalanche snow, so buoyancy would actually pull you down)
I wonder if those airbags perform as well in wet slab avalanches as they do in powder avalanches... In early spring in the Cascades, you don't want to be anywhere near an avalanche gully at 11am. On the right days of the year, you can sit on the Summit of say Mt. Dickerman (or any other central cascade peak) and here avalanches start thundering down all the different mountain around you at around the same time... I got caught in one when I was young and dumb, a giant boulder on Granite mountain saved my life.
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 :)
"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.
Which resort are you at?
@@johngolick2027gotta be aly
@ thats what i thought but if i remember he said a place in wasilla or homer , maybe ski tol
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 YouTuber 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
@@quark_137 You made a typo yourself. Nice
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
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.
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.
Thanks for being one of the best science communicators on YouTube. 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
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
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 :)
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
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….
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
I’ve been at a resort while they were setting off explosives to control avalanches, it is the most powerful sound I have ever heard. It was several hundred feet away and yet I could still hear it clear as day, shaking me inside and out. It’s crazy, honestly. Explosions are crazy.
An increase in quality AND frequency??? Unreal!! This is by far my favorite YouTube 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!
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😢.
This is the most accurate and concise avalanche video I have ever seen. Former professional ski patroller/snow scientist.
Wow a daredevil!
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!
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.
As a snowmobiler, thank you for making a video about avalanche safety. I hope you were able to Inform other backcountry enthusiasts.
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 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.
I am a physics student. When I used to watch catastrophic avalanche accidents when I was little on Discovery channel, it used to intrigue me. I always wondered if the accidents were triggered artificially by people or there was a coherent explanation for this. Thank you so much for this video. You ask questions like no one and go tremendous length to seek the answers. 💙
I am from Austria and didn't know about this Avalanche-warfare in WW1. 😱😱😱😱
WW1 in the alps was just incredible. Would recommend the YouTube 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
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!
Probably the most thorough and concise presentation I have seen Good job! I have skied in the Wasatch since 1966 and seen many, caused some sloughs, and turned back a few times. Nothing creepier than traversing out and either feeling the snow settle or watch shooting cracks. Bruce Tremper is the best! Thank all you patrollers for the work you do so I can be safe!! If you want to see the destructive power, just go up Little Cottonwood and see what historic avalanches did 2 years ago to cement block restrooms at Tanners Flat...
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 ❤
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.
The footage in this in UNREAL. Thank you so much for another great video!
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
Veritasium is the channel that made me fall in love with science...Thank you for changing my life... Will always support this channel❤❤❤
The best way to not die in an avalanche is to watch a video about avalanches from the comfort of your room in Florida
I’d say the same thing about the ocean 😂
Avalanche safety training lvl 1n2 are good to take if you want to have some winter wonderland fun
@@D3CK_co it’s on the list.
Best comment lol
Or Texas
Can we just appreciate 18:54?
Gets caught in avalanche
"Evind! Watch out! There was an avalanche!"
Your videos almost always represent the most educational thing I’ve bumped into on any given day.
Thank you for this!
Love how much you are getting right about avalanches. Makes me happy to see someone helping people learn. I have my AST (Avalanche Safety Training) so I had absolutely no NEED to watch this, but you made it entertaining enough to capture even me!
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!
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.
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
Love that he's doing a video on snow while in a tropical location... lol "I'll send my producer..."
I don't live near snow and it doesn't really snow, so it's always neat to see and learn about it.
@ebaker8807 - 2024-05-03
Its wild he thought, "Dang I am lucky to be alive right now.... Oh well, back to work!" Lmaooo
@SphereRS - 2024-05-03
so you almost died and just went back to work?
"yep, pretty much."
@Irondragon1945 - 2024-05-03
....it's a way to deal with traumatic moments id guess
@REDWHITEBLUEFULLTHRU - 2024-05-03
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
@richardhands904 - 2024-05-03
How long have you lived in your parents basement @@REDWHITEBLUEFULLTHRU
@JesterAzazel - 2024-05-03
@@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.