For a snow avalanche to release, a weak layer has to be buried below a cohesive snow
slab. The slab-weak layer configuration must not only allow failure initiation but also crack
propagation across a slope. While in the past failure initiation was extensively studied,
research focusing on the onset and dynamics of crack propagation only started with the
introduction of the Propagation Saw Test (PST), a meter scale fracture mechanical field test.
Since then, various studies used particle tracking analysis of high-speed video recordings of …