As a skier or snowboarder at a resort, it’s easy to feel a certain amount of invincibility on the slopes. Sure, there are always gapers to dodge, and, yeah you hear about people losing control and greeting a tree head on. But, hey, what’s the worst that can happen?

Well, how about a cataclysmic avalanche for starters. Last Sunday, Mount Hood Meadows experienced one of the biggest avalanches it’s ever recorded—an “R4” “D4”. Think Cat-4 hurricane, F-4 tornado, or magnitude 8 or 9 quake, and you’ll have a good grasp on just how monstrous this sucker was.

Yesterday, the Meadows crew put up a comprehensive blog post about this super-sized snow slide. It’s definitely a good reminder that the next time the ski patrol tells you that Heather Canyon is closed, they probably have a very good reason.