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Avalanches

            
             Imagine yourself half way up a mountain and all that you hear is a roaring noise. By the time you hear this noise you have about two minutes to get out of the way of the snow that is hurtling towards you at very high rate of speed. If you don't get out of the way you will be buried alive in a huge amount of snow. Once the avalanche sweeps you off your feet you are at the mercy of the slid. Once the avalanche stops if you aren't unconscious from hitting rocks and trees on the way down then you will have snow packed all around you so you will not be able to breath at all snow is in your nose and mouth after five minutes you will black out and eventually die buried in snow. How many people die from avalanches a year, what is the anatomy of an avalanche, and who get caught in avalanches.
             With all the mountainous terrain in the world there is a great chance for people to be killed in avalanches. In 1985 there where 224 people killed throughout the world by avalanches, this was the highest death total on record. 1989 was the least amount of people killed by avalanches with only 78 buried. These figures are from avalanche.org. The average of people killed per year from 1976 to 2000 is 155 people per year. Avalanches are a major killer in the mountains with knowing these stats a person maybe a little more aware of the worst: case happenings of avalanches. .
             The anatomy of an avalanche is actually quite simple. There are three major parts to an avalanche. Part one is the starting zone. This area is the most dangerous. In this area is where avalanches start, by chunks of snow breaking of and running in to part 2. Part 2 is the avalanche track this is where the snow will run down. It's usually a type of channel that is lower than the rest of the slope. The snow will continue to slide till it hits part 3. Part 3 is the run out zone. This is where all the snow and debris will come to a stop.


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... from the word avalantse, which means "to alter or change", which is stated in the book Dangerous natural phenomena by Missy Allen and Michel Peissel. Avalanches are nothing more than falling or sliding snow and sometimes rocks and other debris are mixed in. These large masses of falling snow can come down ... in many forms and ways as well. Avalanches are categorized in different types according to the way they fall and how much they bring down. The four basic types are; wet snow, slab, powder, ... can take you with it before you get a chance to move out of the area. The big causes of i...

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... about it, you cannot outrun a storm; physics wins. When a storm does hit, be sure to seek shelter immediately. Another danger is avalanches. "Avalanches are the greatest external hazard to winter mountaineering in Colorado; gravity never sleeps" (Gardiner 4). The danger of avalanches is increased after new snowfall. Be careful when crossing 30 to 45 degree slopes that have snow on them, because these are ... ...

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8. South Sister

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