The choice of the relevant mechanical characteristics of debris flow is an important issue in hazard mitigation. Many scientists agree that the behavior of debris flow can be classified into different families. For this purpose the applicability of Ancey's (1999) classification was tested with field investigations. This rheophysically-based classification allows one to link debris flow deposit (geomorphological) features to mechanical properties. The study uses all the information (deposit shape, qualitative shape of flow curve, grain size distribution) coming from a comprehensive field survey to estimate the applicability of the method. This information is recorded on debris flow levees (mainly cross-section, stability of the deposit, dry cohesion) since they are the most common traces in the surveyed area. In addition, exploratory rheological tests were performed with a parallel-plate geometry. These measurements show a good qualitative agreement between rheophysical characteristics and geomorphological features. Some problems still need to be solved before using numerical values given by rheological tests, but the classification can already be used to guide the engineer in choosing the right constitutive laws for modeling.