Cornice (snow)

Imagine you are building a sandcastle at the beach. You take some wet sand and pile it up on your castle in a way that it hangs over the top like a little roof. This is basically what a cornice is, but instead of sand, it is made of snow.

A cornice is a part of the snow that sticks out over the edge of a mountain or a roof. It usually forms on the windy side of the mountain, where snow accumulates and builds up. Because of the wind, this snow gets packed down and becomes hard like ice.

When people go skiing or snowboarding, they sometimes want to ride along the top of a mountain. But if they aren't careful, they might accidentally step on the cornice and cause it to break off. This can be very dangerous because the snow can fall down the mountain and cause an avalanche or hurt someone.

So, it's important to be cautious around cornices and not ski or snowboard too close to their edges. They might look cool, but they're not toys!