1.  Disaster on the Mountain Lauren Tarshis

2. lurked: to lie in waiting for something  What these two friends did not realize was that something deadly lurked just beneath the newly fallen snow.

3. scampered: to run or go quickly  But Stroud’s dogs, which had come along to enjoy the splendid day, had already scampered into the valley, and Stroud had taken off after them.

4. fatalities: a disaster resulting in death  In the 1990’s, there were about 15 fatalities per year.

5. comprises: includes, contains, or consists of  It comprises microscopic particles of water, air, and ice that bind together in intricate patterns.

6. intricate: complex or complicated; with great detail  It comprises microscopic particles of water, air, and ice that bind together in intricate patterns.

7. delved: to carry on an intensive search for evidence or data  To understand avalanches, Fredston and Fesler have also delved deep into Alaska’s history.

8. poring: to read or study with great attention  Fesler has spent dozens of hours in libraries poring over old newspaper articles and photographs.

9. vast: very great in number or amount  Fesler has spent dozens of hours in libraries poring over old newspaper articles and photographs and has pieced together a vast history of avalanches over the past century.

10. prime: the best or most likely  The group knew they were skiing under prime avalanche conditions.

11. prone: have a strong tendency or likelihood to do something  They also knew that colder shadowed slopes are more avalanche prone.

12. resigned: gave up  And then he resigned himself to the fact that he was going to die.

13. probe: a slender, projecting or pipelike device/instrument for exploring the depth of something  His ski poles screwed together to form a probe.

14. critically acclaimed: highly liked or praised by many people/critics  In her critically acclaimed book Snowstruck, Fredston says that Stroud’s story is typical except for one detail: He survived.