Avalanches kill back country recreationalists every year, including skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers, and snowmachiners. All back country users should have knowledge of the basic physics of avalanches to help them evaluate local and regional potential for slides. The foundation of this knowledge comes from understanding how the surrounding environmental conditions in previous weeks, previous days, and the day in question all contribute to snow stability or instability, and how specific factors affect snow on a micro-scale, which determines how snow slopes will behave on a macro-scale. There are two major types of avalanches (excluding debris avalanches from broken cornices and ice formations). These are point releases, or loose snow slides, and slab avalanches. While point releases can be dangerous and should be avoided, slab avalanches are much more catastrophic and account for most of the backcountry avalanche disasters involving humans. Basic physics of point releases are discussed here, followed by a discussion on the basic physics of slab avalanches, and how external factors contribute to the stability or instability of a snow covered slope. BASIC PHYSICS OF POINT RELEASE AVALANCHES Point release avalanches, or loose snow slides, begin at one point on a slope and get progressively wider as they proceed down the slope. A fundamental characteristic that must be present for this type of avalanche to occur is a surface layer of cohesionless, or nearly cohesionless, snow (University of Colorado IBS 1975; Fredston and Fesler 1994). An initially small amount of snow begins to move downward when the force of gravity is greater than the forces of cohesion at a particular angle or when debris from above starts the s... ... middle of paper ... ...ditional weight of one skier crossing at a time. BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR "THE PHYSICS OF AVALANCHES" Daffern, T. 1983. Avalanche safety for skiers and climbers. Alpenbooks, Seattle, WA. Fredston, J.A., and D. Fesler. 1994. Snow sense: a guide to evaluating snow avalanche hazard. Alaska Mountain Safety Center, Anchorage, AK. Graydon, D., and K. Hanson, editors. 1997. Mountaineering: the freedom of the hills, sixth edition. The Mountaineers, Seattle, WA. Perla, R.I., and M. Martinelli. 1976. Avalanche handbook. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook 489. University of Colorado IBS (Institute of Behavioral Science). 1975. Snow avalanche hazard in the United States: a research assessment. Assessment of Research on Natural Hazards, Program on Technology, Environment, and Man, Monograph NSF-RA-E-75-017.
Have you ever wanted to prove to everyone that you are a hard worker that is willing to give up everything to go on an adventure? If this is you than Everest is the perfect place for you. A great deal of Everest’s dangers are expressed in his book which should either inspire you to try this journey or sway you away from the treacherous mountain. In the story, “ Into Thin Air,” by Jon Krakauer a true story is told of a dangerous voyage up and down Everest. The climb up was arduous and long according to Jon, but the climbers sacrificed everything to get to the top, which most of the climbers achieved. However, emotions shifted when a storm swooped in and killed many of the climbers that were stuck on the summit, around 12-19 in total. The devices
With all the advantages that a snow machine could bring to Northern Arizona, there are some people who do not want to see the Arizona SnowBowl join the ninety-one percent of ski areas who make their own snow on National Forest land (Murray, p.3). These people have raised great controversy in Northern Arizona because they would like to see the mountain stay as pristine as possible. The only problem with their point of view is that there are more advantages than disadvantages to installing snow machines.
Facts and Statistics about Snowmobiling - ISMA (International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association)-Information for snowmobilers: snowmobiling trails and safety; facts and trends. n.d. 13 01 2014. .
Cascading down frozen mountain, crystallized flakes of chilling water gracing my face with it’s presence; free falling sixty feet, only to be saved by a pillow of snow: this is why I snowboard. The pure rush of adrenaline from the sport has turned what started as a backyard hobby into an Olympic event. Though you may think snowboarding is just a board strapped to your feet; the engineering and history of it have a much richer back story.
"Snow Storms: What's a Blizzard." Forces of Nature: TQ 2000. Web. 3 Mar. 2014. .
Snow is a concept that only a few people really know about. It seems like most people hate snow with a burning passion. However, the true northerners praise every day that it snows; mostly because it does not happen a lot. At one point everyone that participates in a snow sport has to hope that it will snow every winter. Unfortunately, our hopes and dreams do not always come true. That was why snowmaking was developed in the 1980s and has been upgraded every year so maximum snow production is possible. The first reason was to fill in the gaps that Mother Nature left out. However, now the amount of snow we receive is drastically less than what it used to be. Instead of making snow to fill in the gaps, we have to make most of the snow we ski
In the movie Touching the Void, it starts off by two people named Joe Simpson and Simon Yates that go to Peru to climb the Siula Grande Mountains. The ranges of those mountains haven’t been climbed and those who have tried to climb them, failed. Simpson and Yates tried to climb the glacier even though they knew the risks. A glacier is made up of fallen snow that has been accumulated throughout the years and it forms into a large and thick ice masses. It’s where the snow remains that have been remained in a certain are for long periods of time and it transforms into ice. The type of glacier that they climbed was a confined glacier. The glacier was a depositional, because when Simpson was walking towards the campsite where Yates was, he had to pass through the moraines, where it’s a formed accumulation of glacial debris in which consist of soil and rocks.
When we think of Christmas weather, “snow” comes to mind. From making snow angels, building snowmen, throwing snowballs, and catching snowflakes on our tongues, we anticipate living in every single moment of this Winter Wonderland. However, at any time, this perfect depiction of a Winter Wonderland could unravel unexpectedly to becoming a Winter Disaster, known as a snow blizzard. In accordance to the National Weather Service that the LIVESCIENCE website quotes of, a blizzard is a “storm with considerable falling or blowing snow and winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of less than ¼ mile for at least 3 hours.” The Great Blizzard of 1888 overshadowed New York City to become a city that was fully covered in snow ruins as it took its toll
I have been skiing for about five years and I find it to be one of the most fun and challenging sports there is. A lot of the reason it is so challenging is because of the laws of physics such as gravity and friction. In this essay I will discuss how physics relates to skiing and how this physics makes skiing so fun and challenging. I will also discuss how things like wax and the shape and width of your skis can affect these laws of physics and enhance your skiing.
Every year, we all wait impatiently for winter season after having to deal with the killing heat for most of the part. Recent surveys reveal that more than 70 percent of the total world’s population enjoys the winter season more than the summers. The chilly winds and lovely snowflakes not only are a visual treat but feel amazing too! However, with all good things, there are parts of it that are not-so-good and need to be dealt with. Heaps of fallen snow in front of the houses, on the cars and on the roads is a serious problem that needs to be dealt with. If you live in a country where it heavily snows, you must be aware of how real and hectic the struggle is.
Cross-country skiing is as much of a competitive sport, as it is a back country one. Cross-country skiing is enjoyed by people of all ages, and can be relatively inexpensive. There is no need for lift tickets and with a little maintenance equipment can last for decades. As a result of its broad audience, many people don't realize that physics plays a large role in cross-country skiing. This web page was designed to briefly describe some of the concepts behind the physics of skiing, and give a basic understanding of both the sport and the science.
With steeper slopes comes more experienced riders, which also comes higher speeds. When zooming down a steep slope momentum carries snowboarders. If a snowboarder loses speed their balance follows suit. Consequently, we may look reckless but, we have complete control. From a bystander’s view at the base of the mountain it looks like we are going left and right with no sense of direction with poofs of snow every time we change direction. In reality, when we change direction, the momentum shift slows us down and keeps us in control. While it looks like we are going to zoom off and hit the nearby tree, we change our course to restrict the speed of our
When snowflakes fall to the ground, the delicate points on the snow crystals break, and the rounded grains mass together. When someone walks on the snow or makes a snowball, the pressure crushes and partially melts the snow so it becomes hard and icy. On a small scale, that represents what takes place on a much larger scale when ice fields are formed.
The snow that was predicted to be several inches by the end of the weekend quickly piled up to around eight inches by that evening. At times, the snow was falling so heavily you could hardly see the streetlights that glistened like beacons in a sea of snow. With the landscape draped in white, the trees hangi...
U.S. Geological Survey. Worldwide Overview of Large Landslides of the 20th and 21st Centuries. 6 December 2010. 3 February 2011 .