The avalanche danger rating scale can be pretty confusing for a
layman. Avalanche danger rating 3 on a scale of 5 doesn't sound too
dangerous right? It's right in the middle! So you might think that there
isn't much of a risk when skiing off-piste. Let's get straight to the
point: avalanche danger rating 3 (Moderate) can be dangerous. About 20%
of the snow cover has weak spots and spontaneous avalanches of medium
size are possible. The weight of a single skier or snowboarder on the
snow cover is enough to trigger an avalanche. Ergo: it definitely can be
dangerous. How come?
The problem is the objective of the avalanche danger scale
The avalanche danger scale has two objectives. One objective is to
express the risk that a catastrophic avalanche will threat public life
(roads, bridges, villages) and the other objective is the probability of
an avalanche in the ski areas, that threat skiers and snowboarders.
These are two objectives in a single scale. READ ON...
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