Avalanches are a terrifying experience that many don’t make it out of. But this GoPro survived and lived to tell the tale (through footage).
Photographer Brett Schreckengost was able to capture the truly incredible footage on his GoPro and eventually retrieve the device. It’s unclear how Schreckengost knew exactly where to retrieve the GoPro, though it’s likely he used a tracker, especially since this project was planned ahead of time. It’s also not the first avalanche video Schreckengost has successfully captured.
The video, taken with a GoPro Hero12 Black, even won a GoPro Award, earning Schreckengost a $1,000 prize. The footage was captured in Telluride, Colorado, according to GoPro’s post. The Instagram post also noted the video was, understandably, remotely triggered.
The spectacular footage begins with the slow rumble echoing as snow forms plumes that flow down the mountain. The video ever so slowly zooms out as the force of snow grows larger, eventually looming dangerously close to the camera. Finally, the clouds of snow overtake the GoPro, surrounding it in a gray blur. All that’s left is the whoosh of the moving snow as the video fades to black before showing the GoPro logo (at least in the version posted to the camera company’s Instagram).
Schreckengost posted more avalanche footage on his own Instagram. One black and white video shows the top of a mountain in the Dream Stream, also in Colorado, as snow cascades like a frozen waterfall. Over in Aspen, Schreckengost captured an avalanche in the Ajax Mountains. Schreckengost said in an Instagram comment the cameras were only knocked over but not buried, thankfully. He further added this was a planned avalanche mitigation and not a spontaneous event, providing possible insight into the award-winning video.
Schreckengost’s body of work encompasses plenty more images and videos of gorgeous landscapes, many of which cover various parts of Colorado, where he’s based. Each image, whether it displays an avalanche, thawed-out wilderness, skiers, or even a historic town, offers stunning depictions of Schreckengost’s home state.
“My favorite subjects move fast and demand an intuitive, journalistic approach” Schreckengost describes on his website, “My small production team thrives in the most challenging environments and difficult to reach locations.”
That checks out.
Image credits: Photographs by Brett Schreckengost