This link, "The Anatomy of an Avalanche" from Time, talks about the incidents. It then gives concise information about avalanches, their triggers, causes, etc.
I think that the image below is also a great thing to know and keep in mind. Avalanches are dependent on 4 things: the snowpack, terrain, and weather, and then finally, a trigger (represented by a human). Terrain stays the same, but the quality and quantity of the snowpack and the weather are the things that change.
I think it's worth noting that if you are paying attention, there are always indicators that can help you to predict the likelihood of avalanche danger. For example, in this video, notice that where the avalanches are, there are no big trees (if any trees at all); lack of trees on a steep slope would be an indicator. But that alone does not predict an avalanche, as there are still 3 other factors besides terrain (from the triangle above) to consider before predicting avalanche danger. As the article above also states, there had been significant snowfall in the days preceding the death of the skiers and snowboarders in WA, which is also another red-flag indicator of considerable avalanche danger.
Interestingly enough, the instructors sunday said that in the 2010-2011 season, the group that experienced the most deaths were snowmobilers, and then skiers and snowboarders.
I'm adding in a picture of an avalanche I saw in Alaska, when I was there in May 2006. This avalanche was not a slab avalanche, as is being talked about in the article above, and was neat to see (knowing I was not in danger).
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| Small avalanche near Byron Glacier, May 2006 |
Hopefully there will be no more deaths this season, and as equipment gets better and cheaper (such as beacons and the airbags), there will be less deaths.
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