Skier captures the eruption of Chilean volcano on film
Extreme skiers must be accustomed to fast-changing weather conditions and potential dangers whilst on the slopes. For some hearty snow enthusiasts in the South American country of Chile, they also had to deal with an active volcano nearby.
In August, in the Bío Bío region of country, a group of skiers were greeted by smoke, ash and poisonous gases. The Nevados de Chillán volcano began to erupt as the group was passing by in August.
One of the skiers, Jess McMillan, spoke to the media about the experience.
“It is winter in South America and the Andes offer some of the best terrain in the world,” she said. “It was really crazy to see a volcano erupt while skiing, but the local government is monitoring the activity so for now we are just enjoying the great snow.”
McMillan caught the whole experience on video and shared it on Instagram:
“The volcano has been giving off gases all season, there’s now a closed area surrounding it to keep skiers and snowboarders a safe distance away,” McMillan said. “The volcano has emitted gases twice since in the past three days – it makes no sound and there’s no earthquake when it happens.”
According to local geology experts, the volcano eruption started just after 5 pm local time on 1 August. The plume of smoke and ash rose to nearly 4,000m quickly. Although the actual crater of the volcano is banned for use by skiers and snowboarders, and the eruption only lasted a few minutes, it still spooked the local skiers who were on the nearby slopes at the time.
McMillan said they were told they were skiing in a yellow zone. In that zone, volcanic activity is normal in the area, and there was no need for alarm or evacuation.
The volcano has been erupting on a regular basis since December 2015, and there is a strong belief amongst the locals there is a bigger eruption on the horizon. Thankfully, there is no worry for volcanic activity for those seeking a ski holiday in France. Just the promise of great snow, great runs, and the beautiful scenery of the Alps.
Image Credit: Francisco Javier Gutierrez Zuñiga (flickr.com)