The 2020-2021 avalanche season in the U.S. has been one of the deadliest on record, and the COVID-19 pandemic is partially to blame.

The pandemic has caused people to want to go “off the grid” and explore the outdoors since being cooped up in their houses for months. This means more people on the slopes who could cause an eruption from the mountain of snow, according to a CNN report.

It’s said that nearly 90% of avalanche accidents are caused or triggered by the victim or someone in the group, the Utah Avalanche Center reports.

The climate is another reason for the increase in avalanches. The unstable surface of the snow is due to the weak snowpack on the bottom and the strong snowpack on the top, according to Brian Lazar, deputy director at CAIC.

"Like any structure, you don't want your weakest materials at the bottom, so when you build a snowpack structure with weaker layers under stronger layers, it's the perfect condition to produce avalanches," he said.

This season alone, 33 people have died due to these disasters, which is just three less than the 2008 and 2010 seasons. The avalanche season traditionally runs through spring.

There have been three deaths in Wyoming, eight in Colorado, three in Utah, one in New Hampshire, one in Arkansas, two in Montana, one in Washington and two in Idaho since Dec. 18, 2020.

In order to prevent these disasters from happening, CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam reported that mountain-goers should bring safety equipment like shovels and beacons. He also suggests checking the avalanche forecasts before hitting the slopes.

Annapurna is an avalanche-prone and technically difficult mountain range with a higher death rate than Everest, the world's highest peak
Annapurna is an avalanche-prone and technically difficult mountain range with a higher death rate than Everest, the world's highest peak AFP / PRAKASH MATHEMA
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