Point-of-View (POV) cameras have become nearly ubiquitous in outdoor sports these days. At ski resorts and in the backcountry, in particular, they have become standard equipment. See GoPro and Contour for the leading gear options.

Mostly their use results in humdrum, seen-it-before footage. Occasionally, though, they capture unexpected, harrowing moments. There have been a few of these lately (see video below) that have achieved genuine viral status (the first video even showing up on HuffPo).

I am tempted to chalk up our collective fascination with these videos to Schadenfreude, but they are certainly an educational tool as well. Lesson from POV video #1: don’t get complacent on the summit. Lesson from POV video #2: keep your avy skills dialed. You never know which end of that video you’ll be on.

POV of a skier in a potentially-fatal fall off the back side of a mountain.

POV of an avalanche burial and survival in Alaska.