Bizarre illusion of 'invisible' woman on a snowy mountain has people scratching their heads
Not all optical illusions are fun, some come with a lesson. When a Reddit user (u/Mystical_Cat) shared a photo of her friend snowboarding, they did not anticipate the debates it would spur on the internet. Sharing the striking capture, the user hinted at how her friend dressed in monochromatic colors, in a densely forested landscape covered in snow, camouflaged with the background. Recognizing the optical illusion, the internet chimed in with life lessons.
In the photo, an almost invisible woman is seen riding a snowboard down a snowy ski slope with tall pine trees on one side. The sunlight shines on the upper half of the trees with vibrant colors popping off, while the lower ends appear dark with cold hues. With great timing, the photographer managed to click a snap that perfectly aligned the woman with the contrast of the snow and the forest in the backdrop. A mere glance at the photo would easily leave one wondering if someone is riding the snowboard at all. Her white pants haze into the snow while her black jacket vanishes among the tree shadows. Only the torso and shoes are vaguely defined, while everything else just seems odd. “My friend is learning to snowboard,” the post was captioned.
The interesting post was upvoted 26,000 times, and the comments section was flooded with people trying to understand the oddity. One person joked, “Yeah, I have imaginary friends too.” While another (u/Hozraci) mused, “Looks like somebody left their snowboard and boots on the mountain.” Someone else (u/Roge2005) noted, “Your friend is still practicing on her invisibility powers.” The jokes did not stop. “How did you get the helmet to levitate above the board?” chimed a fellow internet user (u/JTB696699). u/dita7503 wrote, “It took me longer than it should have to find the actual person.
Humor aside, some commenters expressed their concerns about dressing up in muted colors while snowboarding on a mountain. “And that’s why you’re supposed to wear something bright if you’re going up a mountain and might need to be rescued by helicopter,” stated u/fairkatrina. Similarly, a person (u/chillingman11) criticised, “Pretty stupid clothing choice if you wanna be found alive.” Another comment about the camouflage by u/Cheb1337 explained, “I’m in the army and we use this type of split camouflage for when snow is on the ground but the trees are still green. It is surprisingly effective.”
The National Safety Council advises that wearing bright colors, dressing in layers, with water-repellant and slide-resistant clothing, is essential to ensure safety while snowboarding. In addition, helmets help protect from head injuries, paired with other quality equipment. In 2022, more than 66,000 injuries came from just skiing and snowboarding activities. The causes ranged from overspeeding to loss of control and collisions with trees or lift towers, often resulting in fatalities.
According to Herald Net, bright colors are the way to go when in snowy regions to avoid camouflaging in the brightness and reflection. While one part of the color revolution in sports is driven by safety, experts say the other half is influenced by fashion. Bright, flamboyant colors are always fun to wear, regardless of gender, and the sports world has readily embraced them.