Colorado avalanche claims 2 lives
By
Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Feb 16, 2020 8:46 PM EDT
A group of snowmobilers triggered an avalanche near Fremont Pass in The Vail and Summit County zone on Feb. 15, 2020. The incident killed two of the three snowmobilers. (Mike Cooperstein/CAIC)
After days of searching, rescuers have recovered the bodies of the two Colorado men who died amid an avalanche 10 miles north of Vail. The avalanche was triggered on Saturday morning and three men, believed to be snowbiking at the time, were caught in the disaster.
While one man was able to dig himself out, the other two were tragically carried into a gully at the bottom of a drainage area before being buried, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).
"Avalanche debris piled up deeply and they were fully buried and killed," the Center's statement read. "Search and Rescue volunteers recovered the bodies on February 16. The avalanche occurred on a northeast-facing below treeline slope, around 9800 feet in elevation. It was about 650 feet wide and ran about 120 vertical feet."
Law enforcement sources told CBS4 that the three "mono-track riders" had triggered the avalanche Saturday.
"Over the last 10 winters in Colorado, six avalanche accidents killed people around President's Day weekend," the CAIC said on its website. "Avalanches also caught numerous people: most dramatically, 20 people over the 2013 Presidents Day weekend and 10 people over the 2014 weekend."
Before the weekend, the CAIC had cautioned people over social media on avalanche dangers.
On Feb. 10, a snowmobiler was buried and killed in an avalanche south of Cooper Landing.
The CAIC lists Vail and Summit County as a level three out of five for dangerous avalanche conditions, though lists no watches or warnings as of Sunday afternoon.
The National Weather Service lists heavy rain or snowfall within the past 24 hours along with significant warming or rapidly increasing temperatures amid warning signs of avalanche conditions.
"It does not look like there has been any significant snow lately. But, temperatures were very cold a few days ago then milder (Saturday). It's possible that change could lead to the avalanche," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist David Samuhel said. "There was a sizable storm about a week ago. So that layer of snow could have become unstable recently."
On the Snow, a website that records snow reports for ski resorts, recorded 17 inches of snowfall over Vail on Feb. 7, followed by three days of less than 10 inches of snowfall. The snowfall from that day was the highest report they recorded for the entire season.
According to data from the U.S. National Water and Climate Center, part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the snow water equivalent in the area around Vail was at 130% of the normal amount of snow by Feb. 14.
More snow will be moving into the Rockies on Monday, Presidents Day, as the storm that brought rain and high-elevation snow to the Northwest into Sunday moves into the area. An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 16 inches is possible in the highest peaks of the Colorado Rockies.
As the storm retreats from the region, milder air will follow in the latter half of the week. The quick flip in temperatures may increase the avalanche risk in the Rocky Mountains following the storm.
Additional reporting by Courtney Spamer
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News / Weather News
Colorado avalanche claims 2 lives
By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Feb 16, 2020 8:46 PM EDT
A group of snowmobilers triggered an avalanche near Fremont Pass in The Vail and Summit County zone on Feb. 15, 2020. The incident killed two of the three snowmobilers. (Mike Cooperstein/CAIC)
After days of searching, rescuers have recovered the bodies of the two Colorado men who died amid an avalanche 10 miles north of Vail. The avalanche was triggered on Saturday morning and three men, believed to be snowbiking at the time, were caught in the disaster.
While one man was able to dig himself out, the other two were tragically carried into a gully at the bottom of a drainage area before being buried, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).
"Avalanche debris piled up deeply and they were fully buried and killed," the Center's statement read. "Search and Rescue volunteers recovered the bodies on February 16. The avalanche occurred on a northeast-facing below treeline slope, around 9800 feet in elevation. It was about 650 feet wide and ran about 120 vertical feet."
Law enforcement sources told CBS4 that the three "mono-track riders" had triggered the avalanche Saturday.
Related:
"Over the last 10 winters in Colorado, six avalanche accidents killed people around President's Day weekend," the CAIC said on its website. "Avalanches also caught numerous people: most dramatically, 20 people over the 2013 Presidents Day weekend and 10 people over the 2014 weekend."
Before the weekend, the CAIC had cautioned people over social media on avalanche dangers.
On Feb. 10, a snowmobiler was buried and killed in an avalanche south of Cooper Landing.
The CAIC lists Vail and Summit County as a level three out of five for dangerous avalanche conditions, though lists no watches or warnings as of Sunday afternoon.
The National Weather Service lists heavy rain or snowfall within the past 24 hours along with significant warming or rapidly increasing temperatures amid warning signs of avalanche conditions.
"It does not look like there has been any significant snow lately. But, temperatures were very cold a few days ago then milder (Saturday). It's possible that change could lead to the avalanche," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist David Samuhel said. "There was a sizable storm about a week ago. So that layer of snow could have become unstable recently."
On the Snow, a website that records snow reports for ski resorts, recorded 17 inches of snowfall over Vail on Feb. 7, followed by three days of less than 10 inches of snowfall. The snowfall from that day was the highest report they recorded for the entire season.
According to data from the U.S. National Water and Climate Center, part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the snow water equivalent in the area around Vail was at 130% of the normal amount of snow by Feb. 14.
More snow will be moving into the Rockies on Monday, Presidents Day, as the storm that brought rain and high-elevation snow to the Northwest into Sunday moves into the area. An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 16 inches is possible in the highest peaks of the Colorado Rockies.
As the storm retreats from the region, milder air will follow in the latter half of the week. The quick flip in temperatures may increase the avalanche risk in the Rocky Mountains following the storm.
Additional reporting by Courtney Spamer
Report a Typo