![](https://images.prismic.io/avalancheca/2875ccda71f5d56a9989c7bb2219e862d38594fd_thin_spot_triggering2_mb_wh3_ll.jpg?auto=compress,format)
- Credit
- Mark Bender
The trigger point is the location where a person or machine initiates an avalanche. Possible trigger points include:
- The top of a steep slope;
- Thin areas of the snowpack such as a shallow rocky start zone;
- Locations where the snowpack has reached critical loading through windloading or new precipitation;
- Places where a weak layer is especially weak;
- Places where the snowpack is perforated by rocks or trees.
- Combinations of the above
Fracture lines often connect these areas of weakness or increased stress on the snowpack.