Icy blast: controlled avalanche creates instant blizzard in ski resort

Amateur footage showing a man-made avalanche above the Saas Valley in the Swiss Alps appeared online Monday.

Onlookers titter in awe as the mass of snow rumbles down the mountain before engulfing the Saas-Fee village in an icy mist.

Controlled avalanches, triggered by explosives, are used to lessen the chances of avalanches occurring naturally.

Around 150 people worldwide are killed by avalanches every year.

Source: Luc Yves Joseph Lahaije - YouTube
Author: Nick Alexander, Approving editor: Simon Black