Sports

The Heart-Stopping Video of 2 Skiers Outrunning an Avalanche

The Heart Stopping Video of 2 Skiers Outrunning an Avalanche

If you’re like me, your heart will stop about a minute into this video. I gasped.

This is Matthias Giraud and Stefan Laude who apparently get a thrill from some backmountain skiing. They also get a thrill from recording their adventures on helmet cams.

The Heart Stopping Video of 2 Skiers Outrunning an Avalanche

On one recent adventure, they captured “some of the most incredible content seen by GoPro as they hit the Alps like true heroes skiing the French backcountry while escaping a large avalanche on their tails!” That’s the description from the YouTube video, which is sponsored by the guys’ helmet cam company, GoPro.

And you know what? Even though it’s a sponsored message, it’s really not an understatement. See for yourself:

(H/T: Buzzfeed)

Comments (81)

1 2 3
  • Islesfordian
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:14am

    I was waiting for something that actually indicated they were in danger. Hardly “heart-stopping”.

    Report Post » Islesfordian  
    • shakedowncrews
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 5:43pm

      dingaling, obviously you’ve never skied down a couloir on an extremely steep slope. So you have no idea how dangerous just skiing down that first part is. It’s so steep when you stand at the top you think “I can’t get down this without pitons and a rope!” a slip and a fall and they’d slide down the slope so fast they could break limbs or kill themselves and there are rocks everywhere. Adn they they skied off that cliff face, the chute could have been caught in a wind to blow it back into the rock face, or it could have tangled, or they could have run into each other. There were LOTS of things that could have gone wrong.

      Report Post » shakedowncrews  
  • Stoic one
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:10am

    Wow

    Report Post » Stoic one  
  • ConservativeBrotha
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:09am

    Crazy white boys…that did look kinda fun…

    Report Post »  
  • kickagrandma
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:01am

    @I.GASPAR ~~~ and several others we could name!

    Report Post »  
  • kickagrandma
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:00am

    Sort of reminds me of us running before the avalanche of evil…..

    only that avalanche is not nearly so pretty.

    Report Post »  
  • Divineliberty
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 10:57am

    Wow that is sick! I about crapped myself when he flew off the cliff before I realized he had a parachute! WHEW!

    Report Post » Divineliberty  
  • nocomment
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 10:54am

    Good video, but they didn‘t ’outrun’ an avalanche. They flew by one.

    Report Post »  
    • APEXIdaho
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:13am

      Just what I thought.

      Report Post »  
    • GiveUsJustice
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 12:37pm

      You win. You are correct. It’s funny how most people are actually agreeing with them “outrunning” it… lol

      Report Post » GiveUsJustice  
  • JGraham III
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 10:51am

    As a skier myself, I can feel the wind rushing by my face and the sensation of flying down those pristine slopes. But it ends when the ground disappears from underneath my boards…For ten years I lived and worked in Colorado and at one point had a co-worker who had lost his best friend to an avalanche. He himself barely escaped. I learned to ski in Colorado, but I also learned that skiing out of bounds was not a good idea. My co-worker learned that too, but only after his friend died.
    There is a curious thing about some people (mostly young men from 16-30) that drives them to participate in dangerous pastimes such as the one this video depicts. I believe it is a way of defeating death for most of them, but as I am not a psychologist, I will stick to thinking it is a cool video but for someone else. I pride myself in living the lifestyle of the dull and boring. Under the radar as it were. But….skiing is as close as I will get to flying and therefore must rate this video as a big WAAAAH- HOOOO!

    Report Post »  
    • Katydidnt
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 11:26pm

      It’s not always cheating death, as much as inviting it. Often these guys are battling a form of depression. The adreneline pushes off the pain. Some of them end up committing suicide. A recent example of this is a stormchaser who committed suicide this year. I remember reading about this condition in an article written by a former daredevil who was able to get help.

      Report Post »  
    • picklefork
      Posted on April 23, 2011 at 8:25am

      I’m 52, almost never snowboard “inbounds”, snowkite, & am totally Jeffersonian conservative. I love the boxes people put others in when they don’t take part. These guys didn’t outrun the avalanche….its really hard to decipher from the video for certain if they set it off or if it was a natural. They happen. Its a huge avalanche & could have been deadly if captured within it. The speed flying thing they do is what they were there for in the 1st place(huge applause from me to them for having such enormous cajones) – the avalanche is a circumstantial sideshow to what they were there for. They were far enough from it to just enjoy seeing it – closer and the air turbulence would have totally screwed their flights.

      Report Post »  
  • merrygale
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 10:39am

    I don’t know. I guess I’m blind. It didn’t look that exciting to me. The guy was on a parachute. Didn’t look to me like he out ran an avalanche. I’ve seen better stuff in the movies.

    Report Post » merrygale  
    • warrior21
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 1:17pm

      I agree! If they were out running an avalanche they probably started it. I was taught to ski across an avalanche not with it. Sking in with it insures you will never get away. Looks to me like a publicity stunt for the camera company.

      Report Post » warrior21  
    • Lloyd Drako
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 2:49pm

      Not all that exciting? People get killed doing this! Google “Shane McConkey.” You’re right, though they didn’t outrun the avalanche, they just witnessed it while para-skiing well above and away from it.

      Report Post » Lloyd Drako  
  • Sinista MACE
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 10:23am

    Nuts.

    Report Post » V-MAN MACE  
  • dizzyinthedark
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 10:09am

    Awesome! This will be one of those “boring stories of glory days” moments for these adventurous guys one day! Whoooo hoooo!

    Report Post » dizzyinthedark  
  • TheAmericanRifleman
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:59am

    Would this be considered a “spam” news report?

    Report Post » TheAmericanRifleman  
  • Drum Man
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:59am

    Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! Wow!

    Report Post » Drum Man  
  • LukeAppling
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:57am

    “Oh my God” he says as he challenges life itself. When you are young you are stupid, ask Obama as he exploits the young.

    Report Post »  
    • Notsureishoulddothis
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 2:19pm

      Not everything in the world relates to Obama, OK?! Can’t you just enjoy an exciting video?

      Report Post »  
    • glashole
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 7:03pm

      Not sure.

      On Obummer; a man who is not a liberal before the age of 30 has no heart, and and man who is not conservative after the age of 30 has no brain. Winston Churchill

      It all ties together, I live in a ski town and 95% of the young skiiers are liberal.

      Report Post » glashole  
    • Koolaiders
      Posted on April 24, 2011 at 8:14am

      @LUKEAPPLING

      You are a fanatic. Cant u just watch something without political comment? Change the channel in your head and u’ll be a very happy person. happy easter.

      Report Post » Select Palin for GOP 2012 to Reelect Obama!  
  • Ironeagle
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:57am

    This is as good a stunt as you’ll ever see in any movie.

    Report Post » Ironeagle  
  • hightide
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:48am

    Woooooo Hoooooooo

    Report Post »  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:45am

    @Grandmaof5: (when you read this)

    Hope all is well this morning in Fla, going to be a hot one here, and makes me wish I was up on the snowpack for the summer. Just far away from the avalanch zones as would be possible.

    I was wondering if you have seen JOY, in my gallery, she is on the front page in the lower row if you wish to look at her; just click the link on my screename.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • smithclar3nc3
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:40am

    Hey snow wouldn’t Peta also be pissed because who know how many innocent animals might have been killed to do their little stunt.

    Report Post »  
  • Cemoto78
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:40am

    Now that looks like fun and a real rush.

    Report Post » Cemoto78  
  • Hephzibah
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:36am

    I can’t even watch stuff like this, much less actually do it. Glad they made it.

    Report Post » Hephzibah  
    • 66 bronco
      Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:45am

      Yes, truly amazing and awesome!

      I don’t know how France works but if these guys would have needed get rescued, I bet the taxpayers would have flipped the bill for their thrill!

      Report Post »  
  • tess q
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:36am

    amazing!! thanks blaze!

    Report Post » tess q  
  • Marylou7
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:35am

    They are either two of the bravest or most stupid men I’ve ever seen. Wow!!

    Report Post » Marylou7  
  • walkwithme1966
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:29am

    I just lost my breakfast!! What a great video!! http://wp.me/pYLB7-UB

    Report Post » walkwithme1966  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:29am

    True. Yet consider this much, if that happened the ‘green groups’ and ‘mother earth first’ movements would be all over everyone for the ‘unfair polution of the snowpacks’ of them being under the location of the avalanch.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • TRONINTHEMORNING
    Posted on April 22, 2011 at 9:27am

    Dang, that is scary stuff!!!

    Report Post »  
1 2 3

Sign In To Post Comments! Sign In

Sign Up For Our Newsletter!

Glenn Beck Radio

Listen to Glenn Beck 24/7 Listen Now
Restoring Love