Mesmerizing ‘powdercloud’ avalanche descends down Utah mountain

Ski patrol at a Utah ski resort captured the mesmerizing moment a “powdercloud” avalanche descended down a mountain Monday.

Video posted by the Utah Avalanche Center shows a mass of light snow travel down the side of Mount Timpanogos through the air like a cumulus cloud or a plume of smoke.

“What the heck bro? That’s one of the biggest avalanches I’ve ever seen in real life. It’s gonna pummel us,” the cameraman says, laughing in the video.

The white powdery snow consumes a stretch of trees at the base of the mountain before it floats over the group of skiers and snowboarders in a blinding whirlwind, the footage from Sundance Mountain Resort shows.

The Utah Avalanche Center said the cloud of snow was caused by an avalanche that had come to a halt, while snowflakes in the air continued on.

“Avalanche debris stopped safely in the Dry Lakes area adjacent to the ski area but the dust cloud carried for hundreds of yards,” the center said.

The initial avalanche occurred naturally and wasn’t triggered by humans. No people were in its dangerous pathway.