Over 130 Avalanches Reported In Colorado Since Friday

Ella Boyd
·2 min read

The Colorado Avalanche Info Center reported that there has been a lot of avalanche activity following the last storm.

"More than 130 avalanches have been reported since Friday, including 60 avalanches that were D2 or larger and 22 human-triggered avalanches."

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"One person was caught and partially buried near the Lost Wonder Hut in the Sawatch Range. This image shows a skier-triggered avalanche in consequential terrain near Berthoud Pass. Thankfully, no one was injured."

"These are just a few of the close calls from this period."

The map on the Colorado Avalanche Info Center's website shows a high avalanche warning in multiple areas across the state.

Map <a href="https://avalanche.state.co.us/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:courtesy of Colorado Avalanche Info Center.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">courtesy of Colorado Avalanche Info Center. </a>
Map courtesy of Colorado Avalanche Info Center.

The red areas with two exclamation points in the triangle indicate high avalanche danger, and travel in these areas is not recommended.

Additionally, these areas indicate a high likelihood of avalanches, with human-triggered avalanches being especially likely.

The size of these avalanches could be large.

Officials at the CAIC write that "you can trigger large avalanches on steep slopes where you find more than about 12 inches of settled storm snow. Some slides will break under the storm snow on a recently buried weak layer. These avalanches could step down to more deeply buried layers, triggering a larger and more dangerous slide."

"You can also trigger these avalanches from a distance, and multiple people can ride a slope before one releases. To reduce your chances of an avalanche involvement, stick to slopes less than about 30 degrees without steep slopes above you."

Enjoy the fresh snow but stay safe out there! Travel with a friend, bring a beacon, and make sure to check the forecast and current conditions before heading out into the mountains.

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