The most terrifying part of witnessing a catastrophic avalanche isn’t the sound, the scale, or the sheer power. It’s the complete disregard an avalanche has for anything but physics,” said Kyle Hansen. “We were lucky enough to avoid a huge avalanche in Canada last season, but only because we got up late and decided not to ski that morning. We’d like to take credit for this decision, but instead would like to thank the Northern Lights for keeping us up too late–and keeping us out of harm’s way.”

Kyle Hansen recounts an avalanche that happened without him and his crew, as seen from the comfort of their tents while winter camping in the Selkirks.

Read Kyle Hansen’s story: #unepicadventures: A catastrophic avalanche, witnessed from a safe distance in the Selkirks.