The Anatomy Of An Avalanche
With record snowfalls already and February historically the worst month for avalanches in the West, rescue teams have mobilized, CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes reports.
In Montana, they probed for victims after two back-country skiers were killed. In the mountains east of Los Angeles, three skiers were killed in three avalanches - a snowboarder barely making it out alive.
"It's just not worth it," said avalanche survivor Oscar Gonzales Jr. "I was fighting for my life the whole night.
In the Snoqualmie Pass east of Seattle, avalanches have dumped tons of snow onto the interstate. One day's pile was 30 feet high and 400 feet long.
"It was really, really big, just like in the movies," one resident said.
Conditions are ripe for avalanche when the snow on the mountain is layered and unstable. The trigger is often a person out in the back country for a good time.
The worst case is a "slab avalanche," when heavy, wet snow piles up on a base cracked by wind or warming. When it's triggered, the slab breaks and steamrolls down the mountain - at speeds up to 60 miles an hour.
After avalanche patrols identified a crack in the snow and potential danger on one mountain, they roped off an area.
Read more on Couric & Co. blog: Out Of Bounds And In Danger.
But it only took an hour for people to start ignoring the signs.
"What, they can't read? I just go nuts when they get up here," said Mt. Baldy fire department chief Bill Stead.
All over the West, workers will put more warning signs, and set off more explosions to settle the snow. The fact is, this isn't the worst avalanche season on record … yet.