Bryon Howard/FacebookA Canadian man managed to film the pulse-pounding moment he outran an avalanche plummeting down a mountain.
Bryon Howard, of Calgary, Alberta, was out enjoying a tranquil run along Lakeshore Trail high up on a mountain at the scenic Lake Louise on Friday, December 6.
At around 5pm, however, danger emerged from the peace and quiet: soon, Mother Nature sent tons of snow ploughing towards the trail.
Check out the incredible footage below:
Howard captured the video on his mobile phone, jogging away while keeping the camera on the rushing snow behind him.
Naturally, the Canadian is stunned in the clip, saying: ‘Wow it’s crazy! Wow! Wow! Avalanche into Lake Louise. Just wild!’
Bryon Howard/FacebookHe posted the video on Facebook – which has now been viewed more than 10,000 times – with the caption:
Running at Lake Louise yesterday when I got a surprise to find myself engulfed by snow drift… the tailings of an avalanche. I was up relatively high on the trail and really didn’t feel the snow could ‘swallow’ me. I ran ‘away’ pretty hard anyway!
Howard had been out running with his wife, daughter and son when the avalanche hit – thankfully, they were all further back on the trail and out of its path.
Bryon Howard/FacebookRecalling the moment in more detail, Howard told CBC:
I looked over my shoulder, I kind of heard something, and there was an avalanche heading my way. I felt as if there was no way that avalanche can get me, because you know, it has to come off the side of the mountain onto the lake on the other side – which is about 100 metres from where I am… but as it was coming closer and closer I thought, oh, I’d better run.
His son Jacob was much further back, near the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, when he heard the ‘huge cracking’ sound of the avalanche. ‘It was crazy. It just kind of filled the area with snow,’ he said.
Once the snow settled, he quickly realised his dad was absolutely fine – so he took some photos and nipped back to the chateau. ‘Thanks, Jacob, for your concern,’ his dad said with a chuckle.
Bryon Howard/FacebookWhile he’d never experienced anything like it before, Howard said he’ll definitely be more cautious in future.
Howard added:
I do have a new appreciation for… how quickly it can come upon you and how unexpectedly it can come.
After reporting the incident to Avalanche Canada, its bulletin on Sunday, December 9, stated there was moderate danger along the treeline, with considerable danger at higher elevations.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.