Snow cornice even being on the snow on top of rock exposes the alpinist to hazard in this situation. The best practice in mountaineering is to stay far enough back from the edge so as not to be able to see the drop, as an approximate metric of exposure. In avalanche safety, cornices are a high avalanche danger as they often break and trigger larger avalanches that permeate several snow layers. Cornices are particularly vulnerable to collapse during periods of solar warming. Snow cornice A snow cornice or simply cornice (from the Italian cornice meaning "ledge") is an overhanging edge of snow
Walden Ridge Ridge is significantly higher than the Cumberland Plateau, and its eastern slope, descending over from the plateau to the Tennessee Valley, is steep and escarpment-like. Sometimes Walden Ridge is called the "Cumberland Escarpment". Geologically, Walden Ridge continues south in Georgia and Alabama as Sand Mountain. The section of Walden Ridge that is visible from the Chattanooga area is often colloquially referred to as "Signal Mountain" due to the presence of the small town of Signal Mountain, Tennessee nearby, the proliferation of broadcasting towers on its eastern edge, and the area's use by early nineteenth century Native Americans (and later Civil