Mt. Etna, an active volcano in Sicily, Italy, is erupting, and the natural spectacle is drawing not only geology students, professionals, and enthusiasts like Giuseppe Tonzuso but also the general public. In fact, news sources are reporting that “thousands of people” are rushing to the volcano to witness the eruption. In some cases, this is making it difficult for rescue crews to access the area when people need help.
Despite the smoke and lava from the eruption, some visitors are choosing to do more than just stop and look. For instance, a group of professional skiers have gone viral for skiing on Etna’s snowy slopes as lava flows in the background. Tonzuso, who shares photos and videos of Etna’s eruptions on social media, also shared a video of someone making an ashtray from lava. Who would have thought?
See Tonzuso’s footage of Etna erupting here (scroll to see videos of people skiing and making an ashtray):
Now, watch some skiers snag the opportunity of a lifetime to ski in front of a lava flow:
And, finally, here’s someone making an ashtray from the lava. Tonzuso shared this video on TikTok, saying: “Here is the ancient art of artisanal ashtrays made with lava from Etna.”