Video: These Avalanches in the Swiss Alps are Huge

This video, shot in the alpine near Grimentz, Switzerland, just keeps on giving. A series of blasts each trigger massive avalanches along a ridgeline, until the whole ridge slides in what must be at least a quarter mile-wide avalanche. Spooky stuff.

Related: 3-5 Feet or More of Snow Expected in the Sierras

There’s something about avalanche videos that captures attention like almost nothing else. They are both short and sweet, and violently terrifying - almost like a minute-long horror movie. For better or worse, there are mass volumes of avalanche videos coming out of Europe following a number of heavy snowfall events, providing no shortage of awe-inspiring clips. Luckily, the vast majority of these videos are of controlled avalanches - which seems like a slight misnomer after seeing some of these videos: There’s no such thing as a totally controlled avalanche.

This video comes to us from Vinadi, Switzerland, one of the areas that has been hit most heavily by the recent snowfall in Europe. The ability of the avalanche to blast through the dense forest covering the lower flank of the mountain and continue up the other side of the valley speaks to the amount of energy being released.

Yet another clip shot in the Swiss Alps, this slide comes roaring down the backside of Jakobshorn and up the other side of the valley, threatening to engulf some chalets.

Here’s a map of the locations of each slide for a little more context: