The slope tells you before it moves

An avalanche rarely arrives without warning. The snowpack, the weather and the slope itself leave signs — a forecast that names the danger, fresh cracks under your skis, a slope that sounds hollow when you step on it. Avalanche centres start from the same place: the best rescue is the one you never need, because you read the signs and stayed off the slope.

Safe backcountry travel comes down to three things, every time: check the forecast, carry the right gear and know how to use it, and make conservative decisions as a group. None of the three replaces the others.

Before you go: get the forecast

Always check the local avalanche forecast before heading out — not just the weather report. Avalanche centres publish daily forecasts: the danger rating, the problem type, and the elevations and aspects where danger is highest. A slope facing one direction can be dangerous while the other way is not, so read the whole forecast: the rating, the problem, and where it applies.

Learn what the danger scale means before you need it. The rating can change overnight — a warm night, a wind shift or fresh snowfall can move it up by morning. If there is no avalanche forecast for your area, that is itself information: stay on terrain that cannot slide.

Take an avalanche course before your first backcountry trip — a one- or two-day introductory course teaches you to read a forecast, recognise avalanche terrain and practise companion rescue.

Reading the snow: the warning signs

On the mountain, the snow talks, and the signs are simple enough to memorise. Recent avalanches on nearby slopes are the clearest warning there is — if slopes like yours have already slid, yours can too. Cracking snow shooting out from your skis or boots, and a hollow, drum-like sound underfoot, both mean a weak layer is failing beneath a slab. Heavy snowfall plus strong wind loads fresh snow onto lee slopes fast, and that loading is a classic trigger.

None of these signs needs measuring. If they are present, avoid the slope — do not debate it. Turn back early, while turning back is still easy; groups get into trouble most often when they keep going past the signs because the plan says so. The plan is not the authority; the snow is. Slopes fail in other ways too — rock and earth as well as snow — and our landslide safety guide covers the warning signs to watch for on any slope.

Avalanche safety gear: beacon, probe and shovel — all three, everyone

Do not enter avalanche terrain without the three essential rescue tools — and know how to use them. Every person in the group carries a transceiver (a beacon), a collapsible probe and a shovel. One or two of the three is not enough: the beacon locates a buried person, the probe pinpoints the exact spot and depth, and the shovel digs them out. A plastic shovel is not adequate — carry a sturdy metal one.

Switch the beacon to transmit before you leave, not at the top of the slope, and check every beacon in the group is transmitting. Then practise: companion rescue is a timed skill, and searching, probing and digging as a team must be automatic before they are needed. Practise on flat ground, in good weather — the first time you do it should never be the time a partner is buried.

Moving through avalanche terrain: one at a time

How a group moves matters as much as where it goes. Cross a suspect slope one person at a time, the rest watching from a safe spot — so if the slope slides, only one person is exposed and the others are in place to rescue. Keep eyes on the person crossing until they are safe. Never travel in avalanche terrain alone: a solo traveller who is buried has no companion rescue, and companion rescue is the rescue that arrives in time.

Stay out of the middle of wide, open slopes when the danger is elevated, and be careful below steep slopes and in gullies, where avalanches collect.

If you are caught: get off, stay on top, make air

If a slab breaks, your first seconds decide the most. Try to escape to the side of the slide, where the snow moves slower — the flank is the shortest way out. Shout to alert your group, and if you carry an airbag, deploy it at once. Grab a tree or rock if one is within reach.

If you cannot get out, fight to stay on the surface. Ditch your skis, snowboard or poles — attached equipment drags you under — and swim, trying to stay near the top of the moving snow. Roll onto your back if you can, so your face is toward the surface. As the slide slows and the snow is about to set, thrust one hand toward the surface and clear an air pocket in front of your nose and mouth.

Once the snow has set, movement is almost impossible. Stay calm, breathe slowly and conserve your air — do not waste breath struggling against snow that will not move. Your companions are your rescue, and they know where you were last seen.

If your partner is caught: you are the rescue

If you see someone caught, do not leave to go for help. You are the buried person's best chance, and the rescue that matters is the one that starts now. Watch where they were last seen and mark the spot, then switch your beacon to search and begin from that point, moving down the slide path.

When your beacon leads you to the strongest signal, probe to find the exact spot and depth, then dig — fast, and as a team if others are with you. Clear the person's face and airway first, then keep digging until they are free. Once they are free, check whether they are breathing — our hands-only CPR guide covers what any bystander can do while help is on its way. Call for help as soon as you can, but the digging comes first.

What our records show, and what they miss

Our live tracker lists avalanches among the 38 incident types we monitor, and our daily record for 30 October 2026 listed one avalanche among that day's incidents. What they show is how rarely a filed avalanche sits next to the forecasts that never became one. What they miss is everything this guide is about: the forecast checked, the slope turned away from, the beacon practice on flat ground, the partner dug out in time. Nobody files a report for the trip that ended with everyone home — and that is the whole point of reading the slope before you go. Winter brings hazards at home too — our festival lights and home electrical safety guide covers the checks that take minutes.

The short version

  • Check the local avalanche forecast before every trip — the danger rating, the problem, and the elevations and aspects it flags.
  • Watch for warning signs: recent avalanches nearby, cracking snow, a hollow sound underfoot, heavy snow plus wind.
  • Everyone carries a beacon, probe and shovel, and practises with them — one or two of the three is not enough.
  • Cross suspect slopes one person at a time, watched by the group; never travel in avalanche terrain alone.
  • If caught: escape to the side, ditch your gear, swim to stay on top, hand up and air pocket as the snow slows. If your partner is caught, do not leave for help — beacon, probe, dig, airway first.