Avalanche The terminus of an avalanche in Alaska 's Kenai Fjords . A powder snow avalanche in the Himalayas near Mount Everest . An avalanche (also called a snowslide ) is a cohesive slab of snow lying upon a weaker layer of snow in the snowpack that fractures and slides down a steep slope when triggered. Avalanches are typically triggered in a starting zone from a mechanical failure in the snowpack ( slab avalanche ) when the forces of the snow exceed its strength but sometimes only with gradual widening ( loose snow avalanche ). After initiation, avalanches usually accelerate rapidly and grow in mass and volume as they entrain more snow. If the avalanche moves fast enough, some of the snow may mix with the air forming a powder snow avalanche , which is a type of gravity current . Slides of rocks or debris, behaving in a similar way to snow, are also refer...