Dry loose avalanche releases which type of snow?

• A. Wet snow release
• B. Dry, unconsolidated snow release
• C. Wind slab release
• D. Storm slab release

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is the snow condition that drives a dry loose avalanche. Dry loose avalanches occur in dry, unconsolidated snow—powdery grains that aren’t bonded together. Because the snow isn’t cohesive, a small internal failure or added load makes a point of snow release that rips loose and runs down the slope, creating a loose, non-slab avalanche.

This is different from the other scenarios: a wet snow release happens when snow has become wet and heavy, forming a different, damp avalanche; a wind slab release involves a cohesive slab formed by wind-deposited snow over weaker layers; a storm slab release comes from a newly formed slab during a storm. Each of those relies on a bonded or slab structure, not the loose, nonbonded snow characteristic of a dry loose avalanche.