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If someone needs immediate help with avalanche warning, use emergency mode.
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DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Avalanche danger is high on slopes where you are traveling or living.
The essentials if you need to act right now.
Avoid steep snowy slopes. Turn back if danger is high.
What might I see? Observable signs — no diagnosis required.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Official avalanche rating high or extreme.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Cracking snow underfoot, whumpf sounds, or recent avalanche debris.
Optional deeper explanation — not required to act.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Avalanches release tons of snow that bury victims under solid concrete-like mass.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Recent snow, wind-loading, and warming increase trigger risk.
Check the scene before you approach.
Civilian-safe actions you can take.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Leave slopes steeper than 30 degrees immediately.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Move to ridgeline or dense forest below treeline if escape needed.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Travel in valley floor away from runout zones.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Notify others in area of unstable conditions.
When and how to get professional help.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Avoid avalanche terrain when danger is elevated. Leave rescue to trained teams with beacons.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Call mountain rescue if party member caught or slope releases.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Report size and location of fresh avalanche to authorities.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Buried victims have best survival if found within 15 minutes.
Dangerous actions, when not to attempt rescue, and common myths.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT ski or walk under loaded cornices or steep bowls.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Do NOT assume tracks mean slope is safe — others may have triggered instability.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Loud shouting triggers avalanches from far away
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Most avalanches are triggered by weight on unstable slopes — usually the victim or party.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Underestimating slope instability because noise did not trigger slide.
Other scenarios in the same family.
Aftershock
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — The ground shakes again after the main earthquake.
Buried in avalanche
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — You or someone nearby is buried in avalanche snow.
Compound disaster
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Multiple disasters overlap — e.g. earthquake and tsunami, cyclone and flood.
Cyclone warning
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Official cyclone warning issued for your area.
DEVELOPMENT FIXTURE — Untrained digging without beacon search wastes critical time.