Snow Skiing Tips

Avalanches: The Snow Skier’s Greatest Fear

An avalanche is a slide of snow, mud, rock or occasionally a combination of all three that proceeds down the slope of a mountain under the force of gravity. Avalanches can flow at speeds of up to 60 mph and can carry immense volumes of material, in some cases weighing over 100,000 tons. Being caught in an avalanche is truly a skier’s worst nightmare, and unfortunately it is one that too often comes true. Most large ski resorts conduct aggressive avalanche prevention programs and procedures, and the alert is usually at its highest after large snowfalls and/or when weather conditions conspire to make the likelihood of avalanches more likely.