Once-in-a-lifetime’ moment caught on video by kayaker in the middle of Kapuche Glacier Lake in the mountainous Annapurna region of central Nepal.
Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer
Kiran Shrestha thought he had the most incredible footage he needed to record.
Kayaking in the middle of Kapuche Glacier Lake in the mountainous Annapurna region of central Nepal, Shrestha pulled out his phone and began filming the beautiful sapphire-colored lake and its scenic neighboring ascent.
Similarly, Shrestha’s camping companion Shambhu Adhikari had just pulled out his phone to record himself playing some guitar beside the beautiful lake on the cool afternoon of Jan. 9, 2021.
Shrestha initially pulled out his phone to record himself kayaking in the middle of the beautiful Kapuche Glacier Lake. Little did he know what was soon going to happen in the canyon behind him. (YouTube/Kiran Shrestha)
But just moments later, Shrestha, Adhikari and their group of friends were screaming in excitement. They were capturing something far more incredible than the color of the lake or the melody of a guitar.
Far above the lake, a shockingly massive avalanche was roaring down the mountain, which rises up more than 16,400 feet above the glacier lake (or 5,000 meters), barreling down in the midst of a monstrous cloud with incredible winds and force.
“One of my friends was shooting his own video while playing the guitar, and in that moment it came. I saw something coming and then I thought, ‘That is the one.’ That was the avalanche,” Shrestha said with a laugh. “We were hoping that we would get the good shot in.”
And get a good shot in they did. As Shrestha’s crew stood in amazement at the clouded snow mass, the avalanche grew larger and larger, climbing closer inch by inch.
The Kapuche Glacier Lake is in Parche, Nepal, located about 90 miles northwest of Kathmandu, and is a scenic stop amid a remote trekking route that was recently opened to the public in the past three years. It’s located more than 8,350 feet (2,546 meters) above sea level, known as the lowest-altitude glacier lake in the world.
The area is prone to smaller avalanches, Shrestha said, as the group had heard of numerous smaller avalanches rumbling in the days prior to their arrival at the lake. Read more from AccuWeather.
