You can be the best skier on the mountain, but if the ride up decides to do a tomahawk, you're just a passenger. We saw some gnarly footage coming out of Priiskovoe, Siberia, that reminds us exactly who is in charge out there: gravity.
The Incident
The clip, shared by Aleksandr Chuchuy, captures a cat-skiing operation gone sideways—literally. A snowcat, likely a Pisten Bully or Prinoth Everest, takes a blind rollover over a convex slope. If you’ve spent any time in the backcountry, you know convex rolls are prime trigger points for avalanches. In this case, the terrain dropped away faster than the driver anticipated, and the machine wasn't ready for the pitch.
As you can see in the footage below, the cat goes into a full rollover. It’s painful to watch. We’re talking about a piece of equipment that costs upwards of $100,000 tumbling like a ragdoll.
The Aftermath
Miraculously, there were no passengers in the cabin at the time. The driver? Walked away uninjured. The cat even landed right side up, though I wouldn't bet on the frame being straight or the hydraulics being intact after a tumble like that.
Priiskovoe isn't your average resort town. Tucked away in the Kuznetsk Alatau mountains, it’s a dedicated freeride hub known for early-season deep stashes and serious tree skiing. Operations here have been running cats for over a decade. It’s raw, remote, and unforgiving terrain. Losing a machine like this can cripple a small operation. It’s not just an insurance claim; it’s days or weeks of downtime in a season that’s already too short.
The Takeaway
This is a solid reality check. We obsess over safety gear and snow stability for our descents, but the hazards exist the moment you leave the trailhead. Whether you're skinning up or driving a multi-ton tank, respect the convexity. If you can't see the landing, don't send it blind—even if you have tracks.
Stay sharp out there.
Source: Unofficial Networks
