News and Views from the Western United States

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Welcome to News and Views from the Western United States.

Do you live in the west? Have you ever visited the west? Do you have any interest in the region?

Yes? Then you've landed on an excellent resource. Here and on my blog The View West, you can learn not only about the current events of the western U.S., but you will also find book reviews and a bit of humor.

Thanks for stopping by!

Avalanche Fatalities Continue 

Each year it is normal for fatalities involving avalanche accidents to occur.

As the winter season continues, I report the total number periodically on my blog, The View West. No, it's not a morbid fetish or anything like that. I simply hope to advocate safety in avalanche prone areas

Avalanche deaths in the western United States are a fact of life. Being safe and continuing our lives is something we should all aspire to.

The View West - RSS Feed 

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Avalanche 

:This article refers to the natural event. For other uses, see Avalanche (disambiguation)

Category: Image - :Avalanche on Everest.JPG|thumb|right|300px|A powder snow avalanche in the Himalayas near Mount Everest.

Category: Image - :AvalancheToe.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The toe of an avalanche in Alaska's Kenai Fjords.

Category: Image - :Lawine.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A powder snow avalanche

An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, from either natural triggers or human activity. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the descending snow. Powerful avalanches have the capability to entrain ice, rocks, trees, and other material on the slope; however avalanches are always initiated in snow, are primarily composed of flowing snow, and are distinct from mudslides, rock slides, rock avalanches, and serac collapses from an icefall. In mountainous terrain avalanches are among the most serious objective hazards to life and property, with their destructive capability resulting from their potential to carry an enormous mass of snow rapidly over large distances.

Avalanches are classified by their morphological characteristics, and are rated by either their destructive potential, or the mass of the downward flowing snow. Some of the morphological characteristics used to classify avalanches include the type of snow involved, the nature of the failure, the sliding surface, the propagation mechanism of the failure, the trigger of the avalanche, the slope angle, direction, and elevation. Avalanche size, mass, and destructive potential are rated on logarithmic magnitude scales, typically made up of 4 to 7 categories, with the precise definition of the categories depending on the observation system or forecast region.

Top Three National Parks in the West 

My picks.

1. Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

2. Arches National Park - Utah

3. Grand Canyon National Park - Arizona

Flickr Photos 

From mountain to valley and desert to oasis, the western United States has scenery like no other area on Earth.

Enjoy the photos!

2009 Detroit APBA Gold Cup Race by mandj98

2009 Detroit APBA Go...

Cattails by viakali

Cattails

2009 Detroit APBA Gold Cup Race by mandj98

2009 Detroit APBA Go...

Pond Lily by tom_bullock

Pond Lily

Picture By The River by garryknight

Picture By The River

2009 Detroit APBA Gold Cup Race by mandj98

2009 Detroit APBA Go...

Statuesque by Bergdorf Brunette

Statuesque

The Swan and the Moorhen by Steve Weaver

The Swan and the Moo...

thai sunrise by Bergdorf Brunette

thai sunrise

We had to climb so many stairs. by Bergdorf Brunette

We had to climb so m...

elephants! by Bergdorf Brunette

elephants!

But all the stairs were worth it. by Bergdorf Brunette

But all the stairs w...

elephant train by Bergdorf Brunette

elephant train

The Au Sable by Werwin15

The Au Sable

Crazed catfish by Bergdorf Brunette

Crazed catfish

Reader Feedback 

ClassyGals wrote...

Your invited to join Country Western Living! Five stars and favored.

ReplyPosted March 22, 2009

by tommypatrick

Tommy Smith. Living in the western United States has been a wonderful blessing. It's different out here, but in a good way. (more)

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