In the latest reminder that backcountry skiers aren't the only mountain users at risk of avalanches, two Colorado snowshoers were caught in a slide this week that fully buried one. Two days later, a backcountry skier was caught and killed in an avalanche in the same area, marking the state's first fatality of the season.
According to a report by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), the two snowshoers – a man and a woman – set off on CR31 northwards near Red Mountain Pass on Sunday, a route they are very familiar with in winter.
"They were not carrying avalanche rescue equipment and did not read the current avalanche forecast, but were generally aware of the dangerous avalanche conditions," notes the CAIC.
Just before 1pm, the snowshoers reached a point where the road cuts across a short, steep slope in Champion Gulch. Aware of the dangerous conditions, the woman went ahead and broke trail to cross the slope, then waited at the other side.
The man made it partway across when he triggered an avalanche that slid around 100 vertical feet.
"He had time to tell Snowshoer 1 to “run” before the avalanche swept him backward off the road and into the gully below," says the CAIC.
"He tried to keep his ski pole up during the avalanche. When the avalanche stopped, he was on his back, head downhill. His head was under the snow, but he could wave his pole and knew it was above the debris."
The woman could see the ski pole and made her way across to the man where she used her snowshoe to start digging him out. It took approximately 15 minutes to uncover his face, but according to the report, he never lost consciousness. Once she had uncovered her companion's face, the woman used emergency satellite communications on her phone to call 911.
Two other backcountry users who were carrying avalanche gear heard the woman shouting for help and assisted in digging the man out. He had suffered only minor injuries in the slide and all four were able to walk out of the scene and meet with Ouray County Search and Rescue.
"This was an experienced couple who had recreated in the winter on Red Mountain Pass for almost 30 years," concludes the CAIC.
"They went out for a “casual day” when things went very wrong. Their determination, clear thinking during a stressful event, and ingenuity helped them walk out with only minor injuries."
The CAIC praised the couple for crossing one at a time, and also notes that the man keeping his arm and pole up helped speed up the search and may have helped trap air around his face. It also helped that the woman was carrying a device capable of emergency satellite communications and thought to shout for help while she was digging.
For any travel in avalanche-prone terrain – snow-covered slopes of 30 degrees or more – it is highly recommended to carry an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe. Check the avalanche forecast before you set off and always carry a device that can signal for help in the backcountry, whether that's an iPhone with the SOS function or a Garmin InReach device.
No further details have been issued on the backcountry skier who was killed on Tuesday, except that he incident took place on a northwest-facing slope around 11,300 feet in an area known as Bollywood.
