mlink-36-9815 I first saw it on Cinemax in the 80's & I liked the movie. They tried to show a sodom and gomorrah scene where sex was given away cheaply. Its the type of movie where the filmmakers were hoping interesting stuff would happen and then afterwards they could edit the good stuff together. But not enough interesting things happened. The VHS tape is a cut version at its proper speed. The cinemax version is time compressed. Both are 91 min.! I guess they were told 91 min. and no longer. I have not seen the dvd yet. I own the movie poster, paperback tie-in and soundtrack album. Guess I must like it. eh? The best scene is where the girl attacks the skier with a knife and he throws a glass of milk in her face. Its unforgettable.

shakercoola One of Rock Hudson's early melodramas was called, Written on the Wind. I think the script for Avalanche was Written in the Wind. Some pages must have gone missing. Avalanche is a low budget, low production values feature. The viewer will endure fifty long minutes before they see the first snowslide. The wait isn't the issue. Backstory has to playout in this subgenre. It's that the characters we're expect to bear the cold with are rich bores and hysterical ski professionals. The payoff is a mixture of low grade effects and stock footage of snow's destructive potential. When catastrophe does come it is to desensitising effect. When the rescue proceedings begin we can immerse ourselves a little into the better part of the film and forget about the dull subplots that are never resolved.

Rruffin83 I gave it a 3 because of Robert Forster's acting. Mia Farrow was horrible and Rock Hudson was annoyingly bad. The director must have given them one take per scene, Forster nailed every one and the stars missed big time. The snow that someone kept throwing across the windows every 2 seconds was hilarious. Do chunks of snow really bounce off you? lol

Scott LeBrun Rock Hudson is entrepreneur David Shelby in this production, legendary independent filmmaker Roger Cormans' (belated) contribution to the cycle of disaster films in the 1970s. David doesn't want to let anything stand in the way of his dreams, and he's also still hung up on his younger, estranged ex-wife Caroline Brace (Mia Farrow). David owns & operates a thriving ski resort, and makes the fateful move of deciding to clear some trees from the mountain. Know it all photographer Nick Thorne (Robert Forster) is aware that this is unwise, but his warnings fall on deaf ears. This, of course, paves the way for the event of the title to eventually take place.Yes, the script to this one (by actor turned director Corey Allen and Claude Pola) is uninspired, and one does grow impatient getting through the not terribly interesting stories of the characters. Yes, the acting in "Avalanche" is not so hot, but the actors & characters remain reasonably likable. There are no real villains here; some of the people may make questionable decisions, but there were very few characters that this viewer wanted to die horribly. The photography by Pierre-William Glenn of the wintry landscapes *is* first rate, and may provide some sustenance for viewers who are otherwise bored with the movie. The music by William Kraft also serves its purpose.If one is able to get through the opening half of "Avalanche", they might find the resulting mayhem watchable. The avalanche action is mostly stock footage combined with original footage handled by the very capable, under rated director Lewis Teague, and the action scenes are pretty decent, even if the special effects aren't always up to snuff.There are some fine actors in this thing, even if they're not utilized all that well. Jeanette Nolan plays Davids' lively mother, Rick Moses the conceited star skier Bruce Scott, Steve Franken the perpetually worried looking Henry McDade, Barry Primus the nice guy sportscaster Mark Elliott, and Antony Carbone is Leo the coach."Avalanche" may, in the end, be more for completists of this short lived genre than fans, but it's not totally without entertainment value.Seven out of 10.