Avalanches are scary. Big, mean buggers, everyone knows that. But in the same way that everyone loves watching horror films, everyone loves video of snowy destruction.

This controlled avalanche explosion was filmed in Stjernøy, Norway last week. Obviously one rider probably couldn’t trigger as much snow as three massive explosions, but it’s pretty terrifying none-the-less. And cool to watch.

The buildings you can see at the bottom of the screen are part of a mining facility; apparently as soon as the dust settled three hours later everyone was already back to work! That’s one hell of a lunch time spectacle, way better than watching the intern carry twelve lattes up four flights of stairs to the Whitelines office…

In all seriousness, avalanche safety and knowledge is immensely important for all snowboarders. It’s no substitute for a proper course but you can read our basic avalanche survival tips here.

Or you can watch other avalanche videos on WL here.