Avalanche, also known like snow slide, is a massive snow accumulation of the high mountain parts, rapidly flowing down on a sloping surface. Its speed can vary from 10 meters per second to 70 meters per second, but in very rare cases it can reach 125 meters. In the mountain areas, the avalanches are one of the most dangerous hazards for the property and the life of alpinists and mountaineers, because of its high ability to carry a huge mass of snow quickly over long distances. There are 5 categories of destruction which can be easily calculated on a logarithmic scale by the mass and destructive potential.

We all love snow and winter sports, but the fact that every season, hundreds of people get caught in avalanches is a “little bit” worrying, so here you will read about few tips how to overcome an avalanche.

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Avalanche
 Avalanche by Carlos Dufour Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

If you are a person who enjoys being in the mountains and practice snow sports, you should always be prepared for an avalanche.

 

Rescue beacon.

Wear rescue beacon that signals your location, because people can find you easily with it (some people die from freezing after the avalanche because the rescue squats can’t find them in time). There is some rescue equipment too and taking a course about how to learn and practice using them is a significant advantage for the mountain people.

 

Get off the slab.

If you get caught in a slide, try to getting off of the slab first, but if you can’t do that try grabbing a tree and hold on tight to it, so the flow won’t take you down.

 

Swim away.

If you get swept away from it, the best thing you can do is to try swimming to the surface. In case that the avalanche is very strong and it has taken parts and objects from the appeared on its way buildings, try to grab and hold on to them, because they won’t drown in (same as with the water).

 

Carry a small shovel.

Always carry a small shovel and a long probe if you are with a company, because when the flow stops some of your friends can get buried inside. In this risky situation helping someone may save their life because breathing under the snow is hard and some people can be hit hard by a tree or other object.

 

Educate yourself.

Last but not least is the always working tip for protecting yourself from avalanches - awareness. Educate yourself about them, learn how to recognize the dangerous areas and if it’s possible, try to avoid them because the risk is big and it may cost your life.

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Other articles that can help you with survival tips: 

"Volcano, when the Hell breaks loose"
"Tsunami, the wave that you don’t want to see"
"Hurricane, what to do when it approaches?"
"Tornado, where and how to hide?"
"What to do before, during, and after an earthquake?"



Sources:
www.Wikipedia.com
www.nationalgeographic.com