00:00Last week, the deadliest avalanche in modern California history struck the Sierra and conditions are still primed for danger.
00:07Avalanches don't just happen, they occur when a weak layer of snow collapses beneath a heavier slab sitting on top.
00:14Add weight, often from a skier, snowboarder, snowmobiler, and that slab can fracture and release in seconds.
00:20The National Avalanche Center says that 90-93% of all fatal avalanche incidents are triggered by either the victim
00:28or someone the victim is with.
00:30There are loose snow avalanches which start small and fan outward, and there are slab avalanches, the most dangerous, where
00:37an entire plate of snow breaks free and slides as one.
00:41Red flags? Recent heavy snowfall, strong winds, rapid warming, or rain on snow.
00:48Cracks shooting out from your skis, a hollow wumpf under your feet, or recent avalanche activity nearby.
00:55All those are signs of trouble.
00:57Slopes steeper than 30 degrees are prime avalanche terrain.
01:00Check the avalanche forecast, carry a beacon, probe, and shovel, and know how to use them.
01:05Cross risky slopes one at a time, and the mountains are powerful, and they don't forgive complacency.
01:11Awareness is not optional, it's survival.
01:19ospels are powerful, and hesitant people budding, frogs organismini JA safe.
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