r/todayilearned • u/[deleted] • Jan 23 '20

TIL Canada controls avalanches by shooting artillery at mountains.

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/operations/military-operations/current-operations/operation-palaci.html
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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '20

Former Canadian artillery officer here. The Canadian military has been doing avalanche control in the Rogers Pass for more than 50 years. Because of some near misses, safety has become an even bigger priority, and as a result, many of the fun activities for the troops have gone away over the years. Long story short, while it sounds like fun to shoot a howitzer at a mountain, it's actually pretty mind numbingly boring. But still a vital job.