--- title: "Terrifying Video Shows Cameraperson Get Buried by Giant Avalanche" description: "A group of ten tourists miraculously survived a massive avalanche while exploring Kyrgyzstan's Tian Shan mountains — and one of them got it on video." date: "2022-07-12" modified: "2022-07-12" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/terrifying-video-buried-avalanche" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "avalanche" - "climate" - "the digest" - "Video" --- # Terrifying Video Shows Cameraperson Get Buried by Giant Avalanche ![A group of ten tourists miraculously survived a massive avalanche while exploring Kyrgyzstan's Tian Shan mountains — and one of them got it on video.]() *\Image: harryshimmin/Futurism\* ## Icy Hell A group of ten tourists miraculously survived a massive avalanche while exploring Kyrgyzstan's [Tian Shan mountains]() — and one even managed to capture the harrowing experience on film. The terrifying incident was recorded by Guinness world record holder for [most backflips in one skydive](), Harry Shimmin, who shared the [viral clip on Instagram](). "We'd just reached the highest point in the trek," read the post. "While I was taking pictures I heard the sound of deep ice cracking behind me." https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1546509673716654082 ## Gratitude The adventurers — a group that included one American — were incredibly lucky. According to Shimmin's account, just a few extra minutes may have spelled the end. "The whole group was laughing and crying, happy to be alive," the Instagram caption continued. "If we had walked five minutes further on our trek, we would all be dead." ## More to Come? Fortune hasn't been so fair to other recent travelers. Just last week, a [glacier collapse]() in the Italian Alps killed [at least seven]() and left several others wounded or missing — an incident that, like the one this weekend, was likely a result of [glacier-depleting climate change](). Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Zhaparov is a vocal advocate for climate policy. Climate change presents a stark, particular threat to glacier-laden mountain regions, and like [Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan](), he's urging top polluters to stop overlooking impending climate disaster that his country may well face. "The world is facing global climate change, which is fraught with dangerous consequences," Zhaparov said in a [June interview with *The Independent*](). "This is especially true for us mountain countries because these problems are more dynamic and specific: glaciers melting and natural water reserves decreasing, which can lead to imminent disaster." Case in point: Shimmin's video, while remarkable, isn't exactly inspiring. Instead, it's a cautionary tale of environmental terror. Anyone planning a wintry mountain trek may want to reconsider. **READ MORE:** [*Video captures moment tourists hit by avalanche in Kyrgyzstan's Tian Shan mountains*]() \[*CNN*\] **More on climate policy:** [*Supreme Court Gives Power Plants Green Light to Pollute as Much as They Want*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()