Avalanches are one of nature’s most powerful and deadly winter hazards. Every year, avalanches kill more than 150 people worldwide, and in the United States, they claim an average of 27 lives annually — the vast majority of them backcountry recreationalists who ventured into avalanche terrain without proper preparation or gear. Ready.gov’s Avalanche Hazard Information Sheet outlines the core risks and what to do before, during, and after an avalanche.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to install the free PubSafe mobile app and subscribe!
What Is an Avalanche?
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, often triggered by heavy snowfall, rapid temperature changes, wind loading, or the weight of a human crossing a slope. Avalanches can travel at speeds exceeding 200 mph and carry enough force to bury a person under 10 feet of snow in seconds. There are three main types:
- Slab avalanche: A cohesive plate of snow releases as a unit. This is the most deadly type and accounts for the majority of fatalities.
- Loose snow avalanche (point release): Starts at a single point and fans out. Less dangerous but can still knock people off their feet.
- Ice avalanche: Involves falling seracs near glaciers and high-altitude peaks.
Who Is at Risk?
The people most at risk are those who recreate in or near avalanche terrain: skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers, snowmobilers, backcountry hikers, and mountaineers. However, communities in mountainous areas may also face avalanche risk from natural events.
Before You Go: Preparation Steps
- Check the avalanche forecast. The U.S. Avalanche Center and regional centers issue daily avalanche danger ratings from Low (1) to Extreme (5). Never enter backcountry terrain rated High or Extreme without expert avalanche training.
- Carry the right gear. Every member of a backcountry group should carry an avalanche transceiver (beacon), a probe, and a snow shovel. This gear is mandatory — not optional.
- Take an avalanche safety course. AIARE and the American Avalanche Association offer Level 1 and Level 2 courses for recreational users and professionals.
- Travel with a partner. Never enter avalanche terrain alone. Survival rates drop dramatically after 15 minutes of burial.
- Understand terrain features. Avalanches most commonly release on slopes between 30 and 45 degrees. Learn to identify avalanche paths and runout zones.
During an Avalanche: Survival Actions
- Try to escape to the side of the avalanche flow if you have time and space
- Ditch your poles and skis if possible
- Fight to stay on the surface by swimming motions as the snow moves
- As the snow slows, cover your face with your arms and try to create an air pocket
- Stay calm to conserve air; spit to determine which way is down if disoriented
After Burial: Getting Out and Getting Help
If buried, activate your avalanche transceiver to signal mode. Try to move your hand toward the surface. Rescue must happen within minutes — survival drops from 90% in the first 15 minutes to under 30% by 45 minutes. For the rescuer: dig at an angle from below the burial point, not straight down.
Community-Level Avalanche Risk
Some communities in mountain states face direct avalanche threat. Highway departments use controlled blasting to trigger small avalanches. If your community is in an avalanche zone, Ready.gov recommends signing up for local emergency alert systems and participating in community avalanche risk meetings held by local emergency management agencies.
How PubSafe Helps in Avalanche Country
When an avalanche strikes, situational awareness is everything. PubSafe enables real-time location sharing and emergency networking that can make a critical difference. With PubSafe, backcountry groups can share GPS location data so that in the event of a burial, rescuers know precisely where the victim was last seen. Community members can alert emergency networks instantly when an avalanche has been observed. PubSafe also allows users to signal that they are safe after a hazard event — reducing search-and-rescue burden and allowing emergency managers to concentrate resources where truly needed.
Resources
- Ready.gov Avalanche page
- American Avalanche Association: avalanche.org
- U.S. Avalanche Centers: avalanche.org/avalanche-centers
Download the Ready.gov Avalanche Hazard Information Sheet and connect your group through PubSafe — because in avalanche terrain, a connected team is a safer team.
Avalanche Forecasting and Warning Systems
The United States has one of the world’s most comprehensive avalanche warning systems. The National Avalanche Center coordinates a network of regional avalanche centers that produce daily avalanche forecasts for key mountain regions, including the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), the Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC), the Sierra Avalanche Center (SAC), the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center (GNFAC), and many others. These forecasts use a standardized five-level danger scale: Low (1), Moderate (2), Considerable (3), High (4), and Extreme (5). Each level is paired with specific travel recommendations and hazard descriptions.
Most avalanche centers also provide detailed avalanche problem descriptions that go beyond the overall danger rating. Understanding “avalanche problems” — such as persistent weak layers, wind slabs, wet avalanches, or storm slabs — helps experienced backcountry travelers make more nuanced terrain decisions. Ready.gov recommends checking the forecast not just on the day of travel, but over the preceding several days, as recent snow history significantly influences current avalanche conditions.
Avalanche.org provides a consolidated national interface where users can access forecasts from all U.S. avalanche centers. The site also provides educational resources on reading forecasts, understanding avalanche terrain, and making go/no-go decisions for backcountry travel. The free FATMAP and Caltopo apps, widely used by backcountry travelers, integrate avalanche forecast data with detailed topographic maps to help users identify terrain that matches the current hazard level.
Avalanche Airbags and Emerging Safety Technology
In addition to the essential beacon-probe-shovel kit, avalanche airbag packs have emerged as a valuable additional safety tool for backcountry travelers. These specially designed backpacks contain inflatable airbags that, when deployed, significantly increase the user’s effective volume, helping them remain near the surface of an avalanche through the “inverse granular segregation” effect (large objects tend to migrate toward the surface in granular flows). Studies suggest that avalanche airbags reduce burial rates by 50% or more in scenarios where they are successfully deployed.
Avalanche airbags are not a substitute for the fundamental beacon-probe-shovel kit and the training to use it effectively — they are a supplement. They do not help if the user is already buried before deployment, if the user is caught in a terrain trap where the consequences of any burial are fatal, or in pyroclastic-style powder avalanche scenarios. Users should research the specific trigger system (mechanical vs. electronic) and maintenance requirements before purchasing.
Machine learning and satellite-based remote sensing are also beginning to transform avalanche forecasting. Researchers are developing systems that can identify unstable snowpack signatures from satellite data and feed them into predictive models that supplement traditional field observations. While these technologies are not yet widely deployed operationally, they represent the frontier of avalanche warning science.
Community Avalanche Safety Programs
Beyond individual preparedness, community-level avalanche safety programs play an important role in protecting mountain communities and highway corridors. Many mountain states maintain dedicated avalanche mitigation programs that use explosive charges, artillery, and helicopter-deployed explosives to trigger controlled avalanches on high-risk slopes before natural releases can threaten highways, railways, utilities, and buildings. Colorado Department of Transportation’s avalanche mitigation program on U.S. Highway 6 through Glenwood Canyon is one example of a large-scale, sophisticated avalanche management operation.
Residents of mountain communities can connect with their local emergency management agencies to learn about avalanche hazard maps, warning systems, and community emergency plans. Many mountain communities have volunteer avalanche rescue teams — consider joining one if you have the backcountry skills and interest. And connect your mountain neighborhood on PubSafe to ensure that when an avalanche event occurs, your community has the communication infrastructure to respond effectively.
