Reading Terrain III

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The photograph on the left shows a search line under ski lifts at Champex in Switzerland. Six people were involved in this avalanche, including a ski instructor, and four were killed. It can be dangerous even close to ski pistes. In the Tignes area there a number of hollows (Tufs) close to the piste that act as terrain traps and could be fatal even with quite a small slide. The photo on the left shows a nice inviting slope with even a few trees that may be thought as anchors. The skiers chose to follow a ridge line to the right rather than cross the face of the slope.

Categories: Snow Safety