R&D Scale
An avalanche that is relatively harmless to human.
What is a D1 avalanche?
We have received 12" of new snow in the past 2 days and/or it's currently snowing about 1" per hour for more than 8 hours.
What is Heavy Snow Fall
These form with new snow and moderate winds.
What are Wind Slabs.
This tends to break back farther than expected. It grows and weakens with new snow and warm/rain events.
What is a Cornice.
An avalanche that can bury and destroy a car or destroy a wood frame house?
What is a D3 avalanche.
This sound is a warning that weak layers are collapsing in the snowpack?
What is a Whumpf.
What are observations/tests I can use in the field to look for Wind Slabs and assess for instabilities?
What are wind pillows, wind textured snow, stiffening of snow, drum like feel and observing blowing snow, shooting cracks and small test slopes.
This avalanche occurs during warm weather and/or rain. It starts at one point and fans out as the avalanche descends.
What is a Wet Loose avalanche.
An avalanche that could bury, injure or kill a person?
What is a D2 avalanche.
While traveling, this is shooting out from under my ski on the surface of the snow.
What are cracks.
This can form when we get 12" in 24 hours and we can find this in a wind protected area.
What are Storm Slabs
This is one of the most unpredictable avalanche type of them all. There can sometimes be a visible crack that slowly gets wider over time.
What is a Glide Avalanche.
The entirety of the slope slide (aka the maximum relative to path). What is the R scale for the size?
What is an R5.
When the temperatures are above freezing and/or rain is falling and making the snow unstable.
What is Rapid Warming.
There is buried weak snow 6ft deep. It is unlikely to trigger an avalanche but if this layer was triggered it would be catastrophic. What avalanche problem am I?
What is a Deep Slab.
This is characterized as multiple days above freezing, sinking deep in wet snow and an isothermic snow pack.
What is a Wet Slab avalanche.
An avalanche very small relative top the path slide. What is the R-Scale
What is a R1 avalanche.
By seeing one of these is the #1 sign that you may trigger an avalanche.
What are recent avalanches.
There is a buried weak layer down 2ft and lots of reports of remote triggering. What avalanche problem am I?
What is a Persistent Slab.
What is a Persistent Slab?