Powder Avalanches and Slab Avalanches

Paper Summary:

This paper differentiates between the dangerous slab avalanche, and the often harmless powder avalanche. It explains what weather conditions contribute to the worst avalanches. It also examines the significant impacts avalanches have on the environment and shows certain preventative techniques to protect and limit the damages and deaths caused by avalanches.

From the Paper:

"There are two types of avalanches; powder avalanches and slab avalanches. In very cold, dry weather, light powdery snow grains don't stick together. If this snow is pushed down the slope, it forms a powder avalanche, which swirls along like an enormous white cloud. Normally these avalanches aren't that dangerous as there isn't much snow in them, they are also easy to get away from, most of the time. The slab avalanche is the most dangerous, and causes the most damage. A slab avalanche starts off as a solid chunk of frozen snow about the size of a soccer field and about 30 feet thick ( McClung, David and Schaerer, Peter, 129). It usually forms on sunny days that are followed by frosty nights and snow that melts and freezes again. These slabs are cracked, commonly by the edge of a ski, and break into many different thick pieces that haul down the slope, taking out whatever is in its path."

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