Avalanche Paths

An avalanche path is a fixed area within which avalanches travel. Avalanche paths have three main sections:

  • The starting zone, which is the uppermost part of the avalanche path; for a loose snow avalanche, it’s where the first snow grain starts to move downhill; for a slab avalanche, it’s where the crown is located
  • The track, which is the area within which a particular avalanche travels; the track is generally downhill of the starting zone and is usually treeless or has trees smaller than the surrounding vegetation
  • The runout zone, where the debris from the avalanche accumulates at the bottom of the slope
Photograph of an avalanche with the parts labeled (starting zone, track, runout zone)