What causes avalanches, and can you survive them? - Simon Trautman (opens in new tab)

Explore the three conditions needed to trigger an avalanche, and what makes these natural disasters so hard to survive\. -- Avalanches are the rapid descent of snow, ice, rock, or a combination of these down a slope\. They can be destructive natural disasters and personal tragedies: killing an average of 27 people annually in the US\. These alpine nightmares don’t just awaken out of nowhere; they need three specific conditions\. So, what causes an avalanche? And is there any way to survive? S...