Snow - Guidebook to Understanding, Testing and Interpreting

This practical guide is aimed at anyone who wants to acquire or improve their knowledge of snow and avalanche release. It describes the formation and evolution of snow, how to identify the many forms snow takes, and how to assess avalanche risk more precisely and reliably.

Snow has no lack of admirers. As soon as winter arrives skiers, snowboarders, climbers and hill-walkers rush to the presence of the beautiful and enigmatic White Lady. But she can be a cruel mistress: on average each winter a hundred people succumb to her fearful rages, meeting death by avalanche.

For an avalanche to occur, the terrain must be suitable. However, this is obviously not the only requirement. The instability of the snowpack is also a crucial factor, and this depends very much on the physical make-up of the snow. Unfortunately this is quite difficult to determine – not least because in the mountains the snowpack varies with both place and time. Assessing the state of the snow is therefore always challenging, but it is, nevertheless, an essential skill for anyone who wants to travel the mountains in winter and enjoy them safely.

What is snow? How is it formed? How does it change? Where and when is it dangerous? This book attempts to provide some answers to these questions. It describes the process of formation and evolution of snow, and shows practical methods of examining and analysing snow cover. It enables readers to identify the many forms which snow may take, and to assess avalanche risk more precisely and reliably.