Hey, maker of the game here. Not by TGR, but I participate a bit over there. I haven't done much work on this for a while.
To all those that say it sucks : it's not for everyone. It's not meant to be the be-all and end-all of skiing gaming. It does appeal to some people, and a lot like playing it - do what you will. I'm not trying to defend it, I just accept its shortcomings - as a bit of background, tracks was the first programming I've ever done in flash, so don't expect too much.
As for the avalanche : This was a feature added to
http://game.the-edg.net/indy2.swf, and in many ways it's quite logical. There is a large, exposed slope on the left, below the 'cornice'. If enough pressure gets put on that slope, a part of it slides. You are able to outrun the avlanche if you enter with enough speed, also. You can choose where you start the map on indy2, as well, just by clicking where you want to drop off. This makes dropping the 'cornice' easier.
The future : I'm currently looking into implementing a first person game, but that's not likely to come any time soon. I'll try to remeber to post it here if I do come up with anything.
Check out what the Frenchies have come up with :
http://www.skipass.com/forums/divers/blahblah/sujet-49477.590566.html#590566