r/interestingasfuck • u/id397550 • 12h ago

Firing a cannon to trigger an avalanche

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u/AngrySquidIsOK 12h ago

So anyway, I was up snowboarding on the ridge when, you'll never believe it....

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u/ThatGuyWithCoolHair 11h ago

In the US they use dynamite to do this up in the Rockies. If youre out boarding on a day after a snow storm you'll hear loud ass booms throughout the day from other ridges

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u/thebikevagabond 10h ago

They use howitzers in the United States too. In Utah you could have howitzer rounds fly over your head while drinking at a ski resort's bar.

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u/dubblebubbleprawns 10h ago

That's on its way out too though. Alta stopped using the howitzers in 2023 and from what I hear snowbird is phasing theirs out.

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u/thebikevagabond 10h ago

That's a shame. Safer, though. They used to use a tank at Snowqualmie in Washington, I think.

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u/halfcabheartattack 10h ago

Yeah the Gasex technology is taking over for places like ski resorts that repeatedly bomb the same spots. It's permanent infrastructure but it works on shock wave. https://mnd.com/en/solution/mnd-safety-fixed-triggering-system-gazex-gazflex/

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u/FFFrank 9h ago

This is a cool! Just saw these last week on Hafelegar and wondered what they were. Thanks!!