Rocky Mountains National Park offers avalanche training after seven incidents in a week

By
published

Officials are urging members of the public to undergo safety training before tackling the trails this winter

Avalanche
The Rocky Mountains National Park hosts more than four million visitors each year (Image credit: Getty Images)

Officials at Rocky Mountains National Park are offering free avalanche training to members of the public after a deadly few days in the mountains. The Colorado park is teaching visitors vital survival skills, including how to use an avalanche safety beacon and help a buried friend out of the snow.

Earlier this month, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center reported that there had been seven serious avalanche incidents around the state in just one week, with one fatality and several close calls.

On Tuesday, January 7, 57-year-old Don Modern Jr was killed by an avalanche on Red Mountain Number 3, in Silverton. Traveling alone, the experienced skier became buried under a meter of snow debris and was unable to self-rescue.

“The avalanche danger is high in many areas across the state,” warned a social media post from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

“You can easily trigger avalanches large enough to bury you on most slopes. Some of these avalanches will release naturally.”

Bear Lake trail

The Bear Lake trail in Colorado's Rocky Mountains National Park (Image credit: Getty Images)

Aiming to combat the fatal risks, the training offered at the Rocky Mountains National Park runs members of the public through rescue scenarios, using buried transceivers in the place of endangered hikers with rescue beacons.

“There are eight buried transceivers under the snow. They have basically a two-by-two board on top of them, they’re pressure-sensitive,” wilderness and climbing program supervisor Mike Lukens told Fox 31.

Training participants follow their probes to find the buried transceivers.

“If you get a positive probe strike, then the control box will actually activate and let you know through a beeping tone,” continued Lukens, who advises that experienced trekkers take part in training alongside beginners.

“Those skills are perishable, and so unless you’re using them fairly frequently, when it comes time that it matters, you know, you’re not going to be well versed in what you're doing."

Officials are hopeful that training will help reduce the all-to-frequent fatalities in the area. Since 2014, there have been over 50 avalanche-related deaths in Colorado.

CATEGORIES
Will Symons
Will Symons
Staff Writer

Will Symons developed his love of the outdoors as a student, exploring every inch of Sussex’s South Downs national park and wild swimming off the Brighton seafront. Now a Staff Writer for Advnture, Will previously worked as a freelance journalist and writer, covering everything from cricket to ancient history. Like most Advnture staff, Will’s time is rarely spent indoors, he can often be found hiking, wild swimming or playing cricket.