Photo: Climate.gov
According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, the state has averaged one to two people being caught in an avalanche in October over the past 10 years. Fall snow, of course, is shallow and succeptible to melting with no snowpack established. Add that the the eagerness every skier and snowboarder carries around this time of year and you have a recipe for unique avalanche risks.
And with the season’s first significant snowfall pouring over a foot of snow on part of the Centennial State this past weekend, the center logged its first skier-caused avalanche. The slide happened in Silverton Mountain where some of the heaviest snowfall had been predicted heading into the weekend. Sure enough, the area received nearly two feet of fresh snow prior to Sunday morning when the avalanche was triggered.
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“Minor whumphing and cracking was observed on skin track with noticeable difference in snow structure from temperature variation through storm,” a report from the center reads. “Two skiers skied north facing ridge. Near Silverton Mtn’s grassy run. Half way down skier 1 dipped over convex rollover and saw cracking behind with moving snow. Skier 1 carried speed and skied in front of small slide. Skier 2 came to edge of convex rollover and triggered a secondary slide over the top of the first. Both skiers skied out safe.”
The aftermath of the slide. Photo: CAIC
