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Avalanche and Its Safety An avalanche is a sudden and rapid flow of snow, often mixed with air and water, down a mountainside. Avalanches are____1____ the biggest dangers in the mountains for both life and property. All avalanches are caused by an over-burden of material, typically snowpack, that is too massive and unstable for the slope____2____ supports it. Determining the critical load, the amount of over-burden which is____3____ cause an avalanche, ____4____ acomplex task involving the evaluation of a number of factors. Terrain slopes flatter than25degrees or steeper than60degrees typically have a low ____5____ of avalanche. Snow does not____6____ significantly on steep slopes; also, snow does not ____7____ easily on flat slopes. Human-triggered avalanches have the greatest incidence when the snows angle of rest1 is____8____ 35 and45 degrees; the critical angle, the angle at which the human incidence of avalanches is greatest, is38degrees. The rule of thumb2 is: A slope that is____9____ enough to hold snow but steep enough to ski has the potential to generate an avalanche, regardless of the angle. Additionally3, avalanche risk increases with ____10____;that is, the more a slope is disturbed by skiers, die more lijkely it is that an avalanche will occur. Due to the complexity of the subject, winter travelling in the backcountry4 is never 100% safe. Good avalanche safety is a continuous____11____,, including route selection and examination of the snowpack, weather____12____ and human factors. Several well-known good habits can also____13____ the risk. If local authorities issue avalanche risk reports, they should be considered and all warnings should be paid ____14____ to. Never follow in the tracks of others without your own evaluations; snow conditions are almost certain to have changed since they were made. Observe the terrain and note obvious avalanche paths where plants are____15____ or damaged. Avoid traveling below others who might trigger an avalanche. | 
