Can dynamite save you from an avalanche? Anyone who skis steep slopes at resorts knows explosives are what makes avalanche terrain safe in-bounds. But what’s the science behind intentionally triggering avalanches? Why does ski patrol have to mitigate slides nearly every day to keep skiers safe? And what does the future of avalanche forecasting look like?
These questions and more are answered in the new short film, Can Dynamite Save You From an Avalanche? Produced by PBS Terra, this short video delves into the mysterious and complex science of avalanches, and how to prevent them. To do that, you have to do something counterintuitive – you have to start them.
Features Solitude Mountain Resort
Can Dynamite Save You From an Avalanche? was almost entirely filmed at our own Solitude Mountain Resort. The filmmakers follow Solitude’s ski patrol and Avalanche Mitigation Manager, Ian Reddell as they tame the avalanche dragon. Solitude skiers will immediately recognize locations like Fantasy Ridge, Honeycomb Canyon and more terrain as patrol use hand charges to blast avalanches into submission.
Those of us who are lifelong skiers will find much of this film to have basic avalanche information. But for the unaware or curious skiers who have no avalanche experience, Can Dynamite Save You From an Avalanche? presents a masterful breakdown of why avalanches occur, and how they can be controlled and predicted, even from outer space.
For more from PBS Terra, check out their You Tube channel.