It's vital that you understand all of the potential weather hazards and conditions that you may be exposed to when skiing. 

Visibility

Visibility is an essential component in skiing because you're required to follow a particular route which may consist of obstacles. This aspect should be assessed before making a trip up to the mountain as poor visibility results in dangerous circumstances such as: crashing into obstacles (such as trees and other skiers) and losing sight of the path (may end up skiing off-route which exposes you to avalanches, cliffs, and rocks). Lack of visibility can be caused by many factors including snowfall, rainfall, blizzards, fog, haze, and clouds. 

Other Conditions

Low temperatures, wind chill, and snow blindness are all potential conditions you may experience when skiing. Hypothermia and frostbite may occur if the proper attire is not worn, and sunglasses or ski goggles containing UV protection are essential on sunny days as the reflection (glare) of the sun will be prevalent.

Avalanches

Avalanches have a higher likelihood of happening when skiing in forbidden areas, typically those without a designated route. Some sort of trigger causes them, usually a combination of wind, gravity, and the strength of the bonds between the snow layers. The two variants, sluff and slab avalanches, differ in severity and intensity.

Sluff Avalanches: 

Although these are much less dangerous than slab avalanches, it is still crucial that you're cautious and aware of them. They are caused when loose snow on an angle of declination becomes unsettled and starts a domino effect, piling up more snow as it falls. It can cause you to lose your balance, exposing you to more worrisome hazards such as falling into rocks.

Slab Avalanches:

The severity of slab avalanches can be extreme, resulting in burying an individual with ease. They are a result of a snow slab (essentially a layer of snow) breaking off from another layer, creating a strong downward trajectory which picks up more snow as it continues. These avalanches are very dangerous and should be avoided at all costs by ensuring each individual follows the appropriate path (and avoids backcountry skiing unless with a professional team who is equipped to deal with this hazard).

How to prepare for avalanchesLinks to an external site.