Watch A Huge Controlled Avalanche From Mt. Ruapehu, New Zealand

Credit: Mt. Ruapehu, Whakapapa, & Tūroa Ski Areas/FB
For those that ski and snowboard in areas that are prone to avalanches, there is an understanding of the need for avalanche mitigation. However, for those out there that don't have that understanding, here is a video of the avalanche work being done at Mt. Ruapehu on the north island of New Zealand.

Controlled avalanches are used at ski mountains around the world. When experts determine that the snowpack could become an avalanche, these experts then set off the avalanche in a safe and controlled manner to minimize the danger to visitors of the mountain and the mountain area itself. Typically, explosives are used in the scenarios.


The wonderful thing about a controlled avalanche is just that, that it is controlled. With almost surgical precision the avalanche was brought down right past the chairlift, though not posing a threat to that or any other part of the mountain infrastructure. The area was also closed off to visitors so there would be no injury or loss of life during the process.


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