Facts and Fun about Science and Social Studies topics compiled by Drew Dell.

Avalanche Facts
  In 90 percent of all avalanche accidents, the victim or someone in the victim’s party triggers the slide.  
  Noise does NOT trigger avalanches, it"s just a convenient plot device in movies  
  In a typical dry snow avalanche, the snow  travels around 60-80 mph. An avalanche the snow will reaches these speeds within five seconds after it fractures.  
  Avalanches kill about 150 people per year worldwide (about 25 in the US)  
  France has recorded more avalanche fatalities than any other country in the past 10 years.  
  Around 250,000 avalanches happen each year in the Alps, which is a mountain chain in Europe  
  Alaska has recorded more avalanche fatalities than any other state in the U.S over the past 6 years.  
  A trained dog can find a buried victim eight times faster than a team of 20 people.  
  Most of all the  avalanches occur on slopes of 30 to 45 degrees, but large ones can occur on slopes as small  as 25 degrees.  
  Convex slopes are where the most dangerous avalanches usually occur on.  
  Down-slanting brush and trees indicate previous avalanches.  
  Avalanches can happen among trees under conditions of stress, but smooth grassy slopes are the most dangerous spots.  
 


Avalanche Fun           ?Avalanche Trivia
 

  

Facts were collected from the following pages: http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/med-quick-facts.htm, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/0301/facts.html, and http://www.adventuresportsonline.com/skisafe.htm