"snow cliff"? "snowpack"? (question from translator)

Hello, I'm a translator (Russian / Eng), and I'm translating a snow-related text. So I will appreciate your input if you help me to find a correct English word or phrase for the following: on a slope, a big accumulation / bank / pack of snow that is so thick / big that it poses a risk, prone to collapse. Thanks a lot!

Hi Strella,

"Snowpack" is usually used to refer to general conditions - for example "the snowpack today is unstable".

I think the word you are seeking maybe "slab" -

A Wind Slab is a term given to the accumulation of snow on the down-wind side of a slope that is typically formed by swirling winds and is laid down in wildly differing layers. These can be very large and are almost always unstable and dangerous.

A Slab Avalanche describes an avalanche where the entire area, that is sliding, moves almost at the same instant. A slab avalanche is generally quite deep and can be "full depth" in that all the snow, right down to the grass / rocks will slide.

You might also be looking for Cornice - a bank of snow along the top of a ridge, on the down-wind side; deposited as wind blows over the ridge. Again, these can be unstable and often over-hang the slope below - so can be dangerous to approach either from above or below.

Does that help? 8)

Thanks a lot! That's a most helpful information.

Stella,

As a "language professional" you want to get most precise and clear message.
Unfortunately what makes your work difficult is that the "english" often is not precise , therefore you do not understand sense of message.

The above comments are excellent. Allow me to continue.

Prone to collapse means that there is a risk ( since there is a weal spot) that a section of snow will break off and create avalanche.

Big that it will posse risk must be understood in avalanche context. Snow falls and piles up to such a point that its own weight will cause a section to break off, and slide down!

Hope this helps you.

Pavel