ers of the
mountains. My father, John Addington Symonds, in "Our Life in the
Swiss Highlands," also describes them.
There was a very interesting article by Monsieur F. Krahnstoever in
the "Swiss Ski Club Year-Book for 1923" on the subject of avalanches
in relation to Ski-ing. They are an everlasting nightmare to Ski
runners in high places, and beginners should at once take care to
learn all they can of snow-craft in order, in so far as possible, to
realize what is safe and what is dangerous.
The steepness of slopes and the condition of snow, as well as the
direction of wind, are all factors affecting avalanches.
Any slope whose gradient is more than 15 deg. may be dangerous under
certain conditions, but it may be generally accepted that most long
slopes under 25 deg. are comparatively safe so long as they have not much
steeper slopes immediately above or below them.
New snow is always apt to slip before it has had time to settle down.
Snow blown by wind into a cornice or overhanging lip at the top of a
slope or on a cliff may topple down and start an avalanche.
Wet snow, after rain, or a warm Foehn wind, becomes heavy and begins to
slide.
A very dangerous condition is new soft snow lying on a slope covered
with old hard snow.
Trees or rocks sticking up through the snow make such slopes safer, as
they tend to prevent the snow from beginning to slip. This is why the
Forestry Laws of Switzerland are so strict. In some districts the
owner of a forest may not cut a tree unless it has been approved
by the Government forester. This is to ensure that the forests are
maintained as a protection for the villages in the valleys below.
Beginners should never go on a tour without first ascertaining that
the route they propose to follow is a safe one. And if there is the
slightest doubt, owing to weather conditions, they should put it off
for a day or two. Some runs are perfectly safe when the snow has
settled and a sharp frost has bound it, but they may become dangerous
again when a thaw sets in, a Foehn wind is blowing, or rain has fallen.
The Ski runner himself may start an avalanche on a slope where the
snow would lie safely if he did not pass along it. The cutting of his
track, breaking the continuity of the snow, may set it going either
above or below him and he will be carried away with it.
Wherever there seems to be the slightest risk of avalanche the party
should separate and proceed in single file at ab
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