Things to know about avalanches, what causes them and how to stay safe
Hindustan TimesANCHORAGE, Alaska — Three skiers are believed dead after an avalanche swept them away and buried them under a pile of snow nearly 10 stories deep in the Alaska backcountry. Things to know about avalanches, what causes them and how to stay safe Each winter about 25 people on average die in avalanches in the U.S., with most occurring in the wilderness, according to the National Avalanche Center. Prior to this week, 15 people had been killed across the U.S. by avalanches this winter: 10 backcountry skiers and snowboarders, four people on snow machines and a ski patroller, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Elsewhere three people died Feb. 17 in avalanches: one person near Lake Tahoe, which straddles the California-Nevada border, and two backcountry skiers in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. Dry slab avalanches typically reach speeds up to 80 mph within seconds, according to the Sierra Avalanche Center.
History of this topic
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