Slope Properties
Two main types of slopes:
Although there are a countless number of slope variations, there are three basic slope types these are concave convex, and planar slopes. The type of slope can play a significant role in the stability of the snowpack if the slope is small enough, however on a larger scale it is insignificant.
Due to their geometry small concave slopes are usually more stable than convex slopes. Statistically most avalanche accidents are caused by convex slopes. This is due to three reasons, first they are inherently unstable due to their geometry. They have no compressive support, and they get steeper the farther down the slope one goes. This presents the second problem, they are also much harder to safely traverse. The snow loading conditions are often different at the flat part of the slope than the steep part. Finally convex slopes are subject to wind loading causing a large amount of snow to build up on the most unstable part of the slope.