What it feels like to be trapped in an avalanche Save Follow A series of avalanches has devastated Switzerland recently, leaving eight dead â including a British and an Irish national. In France, there has also been a number of fatalities, as local risk levels are increased following heavy snowfall. Most people will never experience the terror of being caught in an avalanche, but professional snowboarder and photographer Johno Verity unfortunately did 13 years ago â and caught his terrifying experience on camera. He revealed to Telegraph Travel how it feels when the unthinkable happens: âIn 2008 I was in New Zealand, near Mount Cook. Ironically, I was there to film a piece about avalanches for a television series called Gethin Jonesâ Danger Hunters. A huge storm had descended and weâd been stuck in the hotel for days. On the first blue-sky day, we jumped into the helicopter. We got to our spot and there were two entries into this run. I chose the more mellow one because I was filming, and the plan was that Iâd ride down and film pro snowboarder Eric Themel as he jumped off a cliff. Everything felt fine, although the light was pretty flat, and our guide warned me about a terrain trap at the bottom â a kind of pit where the slope suddenly went upwards.Â