A skier is only one trigger. New or windblown snow can do it too. Under the surface, a fragile weak layer sits beneath a cohesive slab. When the weak layer fails and a crack runs through it, the slab loses its support. If the slope is steep enough, it slides. The weak layer was there before the trigger.
Not safety advice. Always check your local avalanche forecast before going into the mountains.
Sources:
Avalanche.org, “Slab Avalanche Release”: https://avalanche.org/avalanche-encyclopedia/avalanche/avalanche-release/slab-avalanche-release/
Heierli et al., “Anticrack nucleation as triggering mechanism for snow slab avalanches”, Science (2008): https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1153948
The animation is a simplified schematic, not to scale. The voice-over is AI-generated. The science of how cracks start and spread in snow is still being researched.
The Hidden How. See how the world works.
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