‘It’s really hard sometimes to stay rational when the inner excitement is just so big,’ he says in the vid.
When you’re up on the mountain and that perfect storm rolls in, blanketing the mountains with snow and tingling your sense of adventure, it’s sometimes hard to think clearly. Sometimes you’re so stoked to get out on the slopes that you throw caution to the wind, ignoring the potential for an avalanche.
And sometimes, that can come back to bite you. Or, perhaps more accurately, to bury you.
That’s exactly what happened to Markus Eder while filming Matchstick Productions‘ new movie, Anywhere From Here. Eder was chomping at the bit to hit a mountain face that he’d been eyeing for years. Pro skiers like Vasu Sojitra had shredded the same slope before, and Eder was ready for his turn.
He was so ready that he jumped the gun. He knew the conditions were terrible and dangerous. He knew an avalanche was a possibility and that he was taking a risk. And still, he dropped in to ski off a massive avalanche zone.
Unsurprisingly, the snow slid. In a shot that is absolutely terrifying, you can see the entire top half of the mountain rip from its anchor point on the ridgeline and fall like a curtain behind him just two turns into his run. Eder points it and charges the remaining terrain like he’s never charged anything before, outrunning the avalanche. His life literally depends on it.
He makes it. And judging by the interview he does afterward, he immediately regretted the decision. And hopefully, he learned from it.
Ski safe out there, shredders — live to ski another powder day.
Runtime: 3 minutes
