An avalanche swept a snowboarder into a tree on Tuesday afternoon. It happened on Snodgrass Mountain near Crested Butte. The snowboarder was on a split board.
The Colorado Avalanche Center said the boarder and a skier skinned up the south side of the mountain and were descending the north side in an area called First Bowl, which is at an elevation around 10,000 feet. That’s when a slab avalanche released and swept the boarder into a tree injuring his leg.
The party was able to call 911 for help and a rescue team responded shortly thereafter. The avalanche took place within old snow on a slope with a northeast aspect.
While there have been several media worthy avalanche accidents already this season the official fatality list shows none in the US so far.
Site where an avalanche swept a snowboarder into a tree, CAIC
Site where an avalanche injured a snowboarder – CAIC
Avalanche risk is already present in Colorado despite the lack of early season snow. According to a report to the Colorado Avalanche Center a skier was caught in a human-caused avalanche burial on Monday near Marble.
The small avalanche occurred in a small gully near a grouping of trees at about 10,400 feet of elevation. As the first skier crossed a steeper section of terrain the slide carried the skier downhill. The skier was uninjured and didn’t require any sort of official search and rescue effort.
While most of the terrain being crossed by skiers in the group at the time was lower angle, small sections of steeper slope were present. According to someone at the scene, ‘complacency’ was a factor in the avalanche burial.
When the slide was triggered, the group was returning to their car. They had previously noted “major instabilities” at higher elevations. However, the terrain they were traveling just prior to the avalanche is described as having a “gentle slope angle”. It was so low-angle that it was impossible to maintain momentum.
The author of the report wrote: “This slide was a sharp reminder of the potential consequences of any backcountry terrain, even in the relatively benign areas that we traverse on approaches to and exists from the main ski runs.”
Current Risk
Those entering the backcountry in Colorado should know that avalanche risk is already present. This example shows that low risk terrain can still have localized high risk areas that should not be overlooked.
Currently the avalanche risk in Colorado is rated as moderate to considerable. Levels two and three on a five-level scale.
Avalanche observation reports made by both officials and the public indicate that there have been 219 slides so far this season. Unobserved and unreported slides have probably occurred in addition to those.
If you’re entering the backcountry this season, do so only with the proper training and equipment.
BERLIN (AP) — An avalanche accident killed one skier in Switzerland.
Authorities in the Swiss canton of Nidwalden said one off-piste skier among a group of five people was killed in an avalanche accident Monday in the Titlis area, south of Lucerne. Rescue teams were not able to resuscitate the 23-year-old Swiss citizen after he was rescued.
The victim died on the scene near the Titlis mountain. Two others, out of five, were also hit but managed to free themselves without serious injury.
The group was skiing off-piste when the avalanche struck at around 10.15am. An investigation into what triggered the avalanche is ongoing.
A 23-year-old German man was also injured in an avalanche accident Monday in Austria’s Hahnenkamm skiing region in Tyrol. He went skiing on a closed slope. He was taken by rescue plane to a hospital in Kempten in Bavaria.
In a broad swath of the Alps in Switzerland, authorities raised the avalanche warning level to 3 on a five-point scale. Exceptionally heavy snowfall was dumped over the weekend. Some higher elevations recorded between 50 and 80 centimeters (20-32 inches) of snow over the last three days.
Snow Pummels Austria, Italy, Germany and Switzerland
Several roads were still closed in Tyrol and some valleys were cut off from the rest of the country. Electricity provider Tinetz said 4,000 homes lost power after several electrical lines were snapped by snow or fallen trees, public broadcaster ORF reported.
Austria issued avalanche warnings Tuesday for the country’s mountainous east after days of heavy snow pummeled the region.
Northern Italy saw massive snowfall over the weekend and snow also hit parts of Germany and Spain as well.
“It’s true that it’s early for the season” to have so much snowfall, said Mikhael Schwander, a meteorologist with Swiss weather service MeteoSuisse. He said the higher the elevation that the snow fell, the greater the risk of avalanches — although that also depends on other factors including the temperature and the types of snow on the ground.
According to SRF Meteo there is an elevated avalanche threat throughout northern Ticino, including Centovalli, and in the southern valleys of Graubünden and the Upper Engadine. In these regions, it’s a Level 4 on the five-part danger scale.
