A snowboarder was carried away by an avalanche when coming down the Papusa Mountain in Gorj, Romania. Sorin Radu had a lucky escape, but captured all of the ordeal with a GoPro camera attached to his helmet.

2015 has already been a deadly year across Europe, with avalanches in the Austrian and Swiss alps having already claimed lives this year. Unlike its portrayal in the movies, sound does not trigger the lethal sliding snow, with 90% of avalanches caused by human action. The other factors that cause avalanches are a steep slope and a weak layer of snow.

Every year, an average of 150 people are killed by them; given that the human body is three times denser then snow, people quickly sink into the freezing snow, which then sets like concrete. If skiers or snowboarders get caught up and trapped under the snow, after an hour, only one in three is pulled out alive, with hypothermia and suffocation turning the snow deadly.

When the snow starts to avalanche, it can reach speeds of 130km/h in five seconds, and those unlucky enough to get caught up in it are battered by hard slabs of compacted snow. Which all goes to show just how fortunate Sorin Radu is. Check out his incredible footage below:

[H/T: Mashable]