avalanche zones
Snow collapse regions
Avalanche zones are mountain areas where avalanches occur or are likely to occur.
The term appears in skiing, mountaineering, and land-use planning contexts: The backcountry route crosses several avalanche zones.
Maps mark these zones to warn travelers and restrict development.
Starting zones are where slides begin; runout zones are where debris settles.
- warning systemsMechanisms signaling potential danger
- ski patrolAlpine rescue squad
- mountain slopesInclined sides of peaks
- slabThick flat piece
- rock facesExposed vertical stone surfaces
couloir · ski resorts · out of bounds · ice · runout · slope · freeze-thaw cycles · fracture · cornice · debris · buried alive · search and rescue · evacuation plans · steep · slide · route planning · backcountry · whiteout
- risksrisk, gamble, bet, wager, chance it
- winter weatherblizzards, blizzard, snow, snowstorm, snowstorms
- alpine zonesalpine meadow, alpine lakes, treeline, timberline, snowfields
- Rocky Mountain Wildernesswilderness areas, alpine meadow, backcountry, alpine lake, alpine lakes
- mountainsmountain, peaks, peak, summit, summits
- HimalayasMount Everest, Everest, K2, Nepal, Tibet
avalanche zonesforested slopes
Tree-covered angled terrain
bedrock · valley floors · flat terrain · flat ground · ridgelines
avalanche zonesflatlands
Level, unvarying terrain
plains · lowlands · gentle slopes · level ground · plateaus