We developed this website to provide information about engineering and land use planning issues pertaining to snow avalanches. Our goal is to address basic questions that arise for planners, engineers, developers, owners and residents of mountain communities. We have also included supplemental information and links to other sites on this topic.

Topics

Identifying Avalanche Terrain Avalanche Mitigation Structural Defenses Avalanche Zoning Acceptable Risks CGS Bulletin 49 Climate Change & Avalanches Avalanche Dynamics & Modeling Publications Slides ASCE SW Colo. 2012 Slides ISSW 2012 Anchorage Slides WSDOT Statewide PE Conference 2013 Slides ISSW 2014 Banff Poster ISSW 2018 Innsbruck

East Riverside Avalanche Path and 180 foot long Snowshed on US Highway 550, SW Colo. At least six lives have been lost at this site. Art Mears provided avalanche design criteria and recommended a length of 400 feet. The avalanche has an 80 acre starting zone and descends 3250 vertical feet to the highway.