Snow avalanches refer to the sudden and fast movement of a large amount of snow down a slope or mountain. It's like a giant snow slide that can be dangerous and destructive. Full definition
Spring thaws can weaken the bonds that form between crystals as the snow melts and refreezes, paving the way for deadly, heavy, wet snow avalanches. (discovermagazine.com)
The fatal incident was the result, some climbers said, of a so - called ice release and not a more typical snow avalanche. (scientificamerican.com)
In the absence of data comparable to the information collected in European surveys, for which records often exist for the past few centuries, the UNIGE researchers focused on trees: they examined stumps (when the tree had been removed) or cored trees that were still standing to reconstruct past snow avalanches at the study site. (sciencedaily.com)