Avalanche size categories renamed

It is good practice to use uniform size designations when describing avalanches – for example in the avalanche bulletin, in the wake of accidents, or when reporting observations from the field. In the interests of clarity for winter sport participants, these names have been modified, effective from the start of the 2018/19 winter season.

On several occasions this week the avalanche bulletin stated, “These [avalanches] can reach a large size.” It is a powerful message, but what exactly does it mean? People’s perception of avalanche size is often subjective and dependent on the circumstances. Notwithstanding this inconsistency in practice, the European avalanche services officially defined avalanches sizes a long time ago, but the names they adopted were little known, partly because they did not reflect the perception of most men and women who engage in winter sports. Many fatal avalanches, for instance, were officially designated “small”. Modified designations have therefore been adopted as of the start of the 2018/19 winter, and typical skier-triggered avalanches are now described as “medium”: