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... cause slab avalanches. The people do others things on the mountain, like cause loud noises and other things that they just don't realize they did to tell others what might have caused the avalanche. The truth is that most of the avalanches are cause by the victims.
It is said that 90 % of avalanches are cause by the victims. (About Avalanches) There are things a person can do to prevent being caught in an avalanche. One thing is keep a close watch on the weather and get the forecast before you go climbing. Do not climb or ski if there is a storm coming or it is drifting. Be watching the temperature because that makes the snow loose or hard. If the snow gets to 0 degrees o day it will be loose and soft.
Then the next day the snow will be hard and will slide in a big slab if breaks away. The loose warm snow would be more likely to give way than the hard snow so watch for that. The wind is another factor. If it is drifting, the snow will be unstable because there will be new snow being placed in different places, and the snow will not have time to pack itself before you climb on it. Don't climb when there is drifting and stormy conditions. The wind will also drop the temperature real fast when climbing or skiing watch for the warm snow turning to ice.
The snow layers also will help you prevent being caught in an avalanche. If you follow the checklist of layers that were said earlier you would have a good idea of the kind of risk you would be taking, if there were any of the dangers in the layers like that were said. If you head those warning signs of the snow layers you should be good in that area. Check the terrain. When checking the terrain look for the type of slope on the mountain you will be climbing or skiing.
What is underneath the snow? Is are there rocks underneath the snow is there, pits that drop out for a couple feet but have a thin crust over them. Ask a couple locals who have climbed the mountain before, and see what have to tell you about the terrain. (About Avalanches) If caught in an avalanche you should try to do these things. The first thing you should try to do is try to delay your departure with the moving snow. You could do that by digging you climbing ax in to the snow or one of your ski poles, or try holding on to a tree or rock in you can.
Also tie a rope your body, if you have on with you, then tie the other end to a tree or rock, this way you will not get carried very far down the mountain. (About Avalanches) When you are being carried away by the snow scream, yell, shout, just try to make a lot of noise for people will be able to hear you and maybe find be able to locate you a lot faster. By doing that others can get an idea of where you might be on the mountain. (About Avalanches) If you are near the fracture line try to run or jump up slope above the fracture line. You could also try to jump on a hard slab and try to remain on the top of it for a while, until the slide slows down. Get rid of your gear, like your sacks, skis etc.
This will help you maneuver better in the snow and will help your senses a little more. Try rolling like a log with the snow it will help you be able to move around a little better. You can try a swimming motion because it sometimes helps you maneuver a little more. But every what you do, try to stay on the top of the moving snow, it will help save your life if everything else does not work. (About Avalanches) If you get buried in the snow try to do some of these tricks or maneuvers. One thing keeps your hand in front of your face and tries to clear and maintain an air space. This will help you be able to breathe better.
Also try to have a space near your chest for expansion, when you are breathing. You should avoid panic and try and conserve your energy. Most likely your companions are probably looking for you. So stay calm; don't waste all of your strength on trying to get out from where you are. If you try and get your hand out above the surface, other wise try and stay still, and try to breathe normally. If you witness an avalanche burial you should proceed by doing the following.
Observe the victim's progress, and if possible mark the point of entry and point at which last seen. Check for further avalanche danger. Make quick search of the debris surface, look for signs of the victim and listen for sounds. Make a systematic search, probing the debris with axes or poles. Remember, you are the victim's only real chance of live rescue. (About Avalanches) How people are trying to control avalanches, so that they can be prevented. One way they are controlling avalanches is that they fire missiles in to the mountains and make little slides.
The little slides move a lot of snow down the hill, so when there is a real avalanche there is not as much snow moving down the hill at once. They also use dynamite and other munitions to do the same. Anther thing they do is, they put up nets to control the speed and amount of snow going down the mountain all at once. The nets hinder the snow's momentum and amount. That helps cut down on damage done to property and forests. (Ready, Aim, Fire, 148) Here is what has happened to a couple of people and what they did while being caught in an avalanche.
Mitch Edwards was snowmobiling in the winter of 1998 - 1999, when was driving in some powder and got stuck going up hill. He knew the avalanche danger was high so he was trying to steer clear of it. But while he was stuck and trying to get out, one of his friends yelled avalanche. So he got on his 97 t-cat thinking the snow would go around him and his sled, but he was wrong.
The moment the snow hit his sled it flipped him and his sled all over the hill. He was trying swimming motions through snow like you are supposed too, while his sled was getting flipped around. When it finally stopped his feet were pinned under his sled and his whole body was covered as if buried in cement. The snow was up to his eye level, and he could not move an inch.
All that was visible of his snowmobile was the tip of his ski. Luckily his friends had seen the whole thing happen. He said after some shoveling he and his snowmobile started to emerge. He also said every one in his group wears avalanches transmitters. He said if you don't have one and were buried like he was and no one was there to find him he could still be there he said.
By the way, his sled started on the first pull. (Edwards, 16) Andrew Murr and a group were hiking on Mount Rainier when it all started with one word, SNOW. When he looked up he saw a 150 wave of snow coming down at him and 9 other climbers. Their guide tried to hustle them to safety, but they were swept away. Gregg dug his ax into the snow but nothing would hold. He told himself he was dying. Then his rope caught a rope and brought him to a halt.
A lady that was on his same rope came to a stop over the edge of a 500 -foot cliff underneath a waterfall of glacial runoff. As it turned out all but one of the ten climbers lived. Patrick Nestler, was hanging beneath the lady even farther down the rope. He died of hypothermia, because he was pelted with 35 -degree water for about 2 hours. The climbers had been climbing when the temp was a bout 75 degrees and the snow just gave away because of the snow being to warm they figured. (Murr, 34) A device that skiers and snowboarders can wear to help save them in an avalanche, it is called the AIR BAG. It is a 1 or 2 plastic balloons that people can wear on their back.
The contents inside are 150 litres of a mixture of nitrogen and air. The skier or snowboarder triggers this by pulling a little string, that then causes a chemical reaction and the balloons fill. What the air bag does is actually two things. One thing is that it decreases density of a human, which is much higher than the one of the snow. (From 1, 000 fg / m 3 to about 400 kg / m 3. ) (Air Bag) The second thing it does is make the skier become a bigger particle. This helps the victim stay on or close to the top of the moving snow.
Because smaller pieces stay under the surface, like a human by them self with out an air bag, would be under the surface the whole and probably never surfacing. The avalanche seams to sort the big pieces and put them on top, and the air bag makes the person bigger, it keeps them on the top. (Air Bag) During 1991 - 1997 12 people with air bags survived the accident. But you can not be certain you will be completely buried. In cases of the person being buried the balloon remains on top of the surface making it easier to find the person.
In conclusion avalanches can happen to any one who takes the risk and there are many factors of witch can cause them to happen. The victim is one of the main causes that the avalanche starts in the first place. So when going hiking or skiing check the factors. Look at the weather, get an extended forecast, as some locals about the avalanche activity on that mountain this year. Check the snow layers, and just don't think it can't happen to you. Remember avalanches can occur where there is sufficient angle and enough snow to slide.
Bibliography: Bibliography "About Avalanches" The Scottish Sports Council. Edwards, Mitch. "I survived an Avalanche" Pride, Vol. 17 December 1998, p 16 Fallow, Allan. "Avalanche" National Geographic World, Vol. 257 January 1997 p 2 - 6 Finkel, Michael. "Six Feet Under" Skiing, Vol. 46 October 1993 p 28 "Good Avalanches are Essential. " Discover, June 1995, p 18 Grogan, David "Buried Alive" People Weekly Vol. 37 January 20, 1992 p 36 - 37 Marchant, Valerie. "Steep Deep and Deadly" Time March 8 th, 1999 p 52 - 53 Murr, Andrew. " The Trail Just Gave Out" News Week Vol. 131, June 22 nd 1999, p 34 "Ready Aim Fire, its Avalanche Control Season" Sunset Vol. 190 January 1993, p 148 "The Air Bag" web 8 e. htm
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