Tag Archives: avalanche

Avalanche safety – Be prepared or die

Avalanches claim lives every year in Colorado. Before you head to the mountains, be sure you are prepared! (Wikimedia Commons)
Avalanches claim lives every year in Colorado. Before you head to the mountains, be sure you are prepared! (Wikimedia Commons)

As snow starts to fall, many Coloradoans and out of state visitors will take advantage of it and head to the mountains for a variety of outdoor activities.  Whether skiing, snowshoeing, or hiking, anyone who spends time outdoors in the high country needs to be aware of the danger avalanches present.  On average six people die in Colorado every year from avalanches and being prepared is an essential survival skill.

In this fifth in a series on Winter Weather Preparedness from the National Weather Service, ThorntonWeather.com helps you understand avalanches, where they occur, how to protect yourself and where to go for more information.  If you are headed to the high country, be sure to check out our Avalanche Information & Forecast page.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
600 AM MDT FRI OCT 21 2022

Avalanches – Are you prepared?

Thousands of avalanches occur each winter in the mountains of Colorado. With the enormous popularity of winter sports in Colorado, this poses a risk to skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, and people traveling in the backcountry. On average 6 people die in Avalanches in the state of Colorado every year. Anyone who travels into the high country in the winter should be prepared for avalanches And know how to avoid them.

The most important thing to know is how to get information on current avalanche conditions. Check the Colorado Avalanche Information Center website at http://avalanche.state.co.us/ for the current avalanche forecast and the National Weather Service website http://www.weather.gov for the current weather forecast in your area. Knowing the current and future conditions will help you make good decisions in the backcountry.

A little information about avalanche safety can go a long way. Most avalanches occur during or just after snowstorms on a slopes between 30 to 45 degrees. A significant snowfall may result in an unstable snowpack. By waiting at least 36 hours after a big snow or wind storm before you go into the mountains the Snow may become more stable and less likely to avalanche. If you stay in valleys away from avalanche chutes, in stands of dense trees, or on gentle slopes you can decrease the risk of being caught in an avalanche.

If you are a skier or snowboarder at a commercial ski area the risk from avalanches is lower than in the backcountry. Ski patrols work to reduce the chance of an avalanche on open slopes. Respect the rules of the ski area, stay on open slopes, and do not stray out of bounds or into closed areas. The avalanche risk is higher outside of the ski area boundaries.

If you want to enjoy the great outdoors in areas prone to avalanches…You can reduce the danger by following a few simple rules:

  • Check the current avalanche forecast to get information on current and forecast avalanche conditions. Also check the latest weather forecast to see if conditions are likely to change while you are in the backcountry.
  • Never travel alone. Always have one or more companions. Even small avalanches can be fatal. If you are alone and get trapped, you may not be found until spring.
  • If crossing a slope that may be prone to avalanches, do it one person at a time. You want to minimize the impact on your party if an avalanche is accidentally released.
  • In avalanche country, all members of your party should carry avalanche rescue equipment including an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe pole. This increases your chances of a successful rescue and finding your friends alive.

Avalanche conditions in Colorado are monitored and forecasted by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, CAIC. You can get more information on avalanches, avalanche forecasts, avalanchesafety and request a safety class from CAIC. Go to their website…Http://www.colorado.gov/avalanche or call the center at 303-499-9650.

Winter Weather Preparedness Week continues through Saturday. Now is the time to get prepared for winter so you can safely enjoy the outdoors and travel safely when the snow flies.

Avalanche Safety Tips

Colorado Winter Weather Preparedness Week introduction

Don't be caught off guard by winter weather! Remember the Christmas Eve Blizzard of 1982? Be prepared!
Don’t be caught off guard by winter weather! Remember the Christmas Eve Blizzard of 1982? Be prepared!

Winter weather in Colorado can be an inconvenience but more than that it can be deadly.  Emergency preparedness for major winter storms – as well as for other types of severe weather – is an important part of living in a state where conditions can change wildly from one moment to the next.

To help raise awareness of the need to be prepared for these occasions, the week of October 16th to October 22nd has been proclaimed Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Colorado.

The National Weather Service will be issuing Public Information Statements each day this week to highlight the dangers of winter weather and how best to be prepared.  ThorntonWeather.com will be posting these important messages here to help you be prepared.  Please take the time to read and heed these messages – your life and the lives of your loved ones could depend on it.

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From the National Weather Service:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER CO
600 AM MDT SUN OCT 16 2022

..Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Colorado…

The week of October 16th through October 22nd is Winter Weather Preparedness Week in Colorado. This is an excellent time for all individuals, families, businesses, schools, and media outlets to review their winter storm preparedness plans. It is especially important for all new arrivals to the state to become familiar with the National Weather Service watch and warning definitions, as well as winter safety procedures.

Snow in Colorado is important to the farmers, the ski areas, and for filling up reservoirs. However, winter storms often bring heavy snow, bitter cold air, high winds, low visibilities and slick roads. This can lead to dangerous travel conditions and other life threatening situations such as avalanches and very frigid wind chill temperatures.

To help you prepare for these hazards this coming winter, the National Weather Service will issue statements throughout the week to discuss:

Intro Winter Weather Preparedness Week
Part 1 Winter travel safety
Part 2 Watches…warnings…and advisories
Part 3 High winds
Part 4 Wind chill temperatures and hypothermia
Part 5 Avalanche safety
Review Winter Weather Preparedness Week review

Avalanche on Mont Maudit in French Alps kills 9, injures 11, 4 missing

A massive wall of snow let loose on a mountain Thursday in the Mount Blanc mountain range in the French Alps killing nine mountain climbers. Officials called the avalanche ‘the most deadly of recent years’ as rescue efforts continued. Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com including a slideshow of the search and rescue efforts.

A rescue crew of the Securite Civile (emergency services) flies over the Mont Blanc massif in an helicopter on July 12, 2012 in Chamonix, in the French Alps. (Getty Images)

Avalanche keeps US 40 over Berthoud Pass closed; Search continues for missing snowboarder

CDOT crews work to clear an avalanche that has covered US 40 over Berthoud Pass. (CDOT)
CDOT crews work to clear an avalanche that has covered US 40 over Berthoud Pass. Click to view a larger image. (CDOT)

With hurricane force winds and heavy snowfall conditions in Colorado’s high country have been treacherous in recent days.  The search continues for a snowboarder that disappeared at the height of the storm and an avalanche keeps US 40 over Berthoud Pass closed.

The winter storm that struck yesterday brought with it winds to 99 mph near Loveland Pass and 85 mph near one of the Breckenridge Ski Area mountains.  The strong winds coupled with the snow that fell has created dangerous avalanche conditions in the high country.

US 40 over Berthoud, US 6 over Loveland Pass and Interstate 70 were all closed at some point over the past 36 hours.  I-70 has reopened but US 6 remains closed due to adverse conditions and avalanche control work. 

While the skies have cleared over US 40 and Berthoud Pass, the massive avalanche has forced the highway to remain closed.  Images released by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) show the highway completed covered from the slide.  No ETA has been provided as to when the pass will open. 

  • Editor’s note – CDOT reports Berthoud Pass opened at 5:40pm. Read on though for for other information.

Search and rescue teams from Grand County were also combing the Berthoud Pass area for a missing snowboarder and his dog although it is unknown if that is in the same location as the avalanche.   26-year-old Jeffrey Miller, his dog and a companion were separated at the height of yesterday’s storm.  The severe weather conditions have limited the search for Miller. 

The snow from the avalanche has completely covered US 40 over Berthoud Pass. Click the image for a larger version. (CDOT)
The snow from the avalanche has completely covered US 40 over Berthoud Pass. Click the image for a larger version. (CDOT)

An Avalanche Warning is in effect for the Front Range mountain areas as well as the Vail and Summit County Areas.  The Colorado Avalanche Information Center warns of high danger levels saying, “Natural and human-triggered slides are likely in avalanche terrain where significant storm and wind-blown snow has accumulated.”  Most other areas in Colorado have been given a “considerable” danger rating for avalanches. 

Colorado’s weather this winter has been a story of two halves.  The eastern half of the state and the Denver area have been warmer and much drier than normal.  The western half of Colorado however has had a great deal of snow with some basins reporting more than 130% of normal snowpack.

More on ThorntonWeather.com:

Snowboarder dies in avalanche near Loveland Pass

An avalanche near Loveland Pass killed a 20-year-old snowboarder on Wednesday. (File Photo - Wikipedia)
An avalanche near Loveland Pass killed a 20-year-old snowboarder on Wednesday. (File Photo - Wikipedia)

A group of three snowboarders west of Arapahoe Basin near Loveland Pass triggered an avalanche on Wednesday killing one of the men. 20-year-old Daniel Michelotti was killed when he was partially buried in the event.

According to Summit County Rescue Group, the three were snowboarding in a backcountry area off of Highway 6. Michelotti was in the lead of the trio when he triggered the avalanche. He was carried 1000 feet and nearly completely buried.

The two remaining friends used their snowboards to extricate Michelotti while they awaited search and rescue teams. None of the three carried standard avalanche preparedness gear such as a beacon, shovels or probes.

Summit County Rescue Group, and members of Arapahoe Basin Ski Patrol, Keystone Ski Patrol and the Summit County Ambulance Service all responded to the site.

Michelotti had moved to Colorado in November from Spring Grove, Illinois and was an employee of Breckenridge Ski Resort. The other two men were from Spring Grove as well, one of which arrived in Colorado two days prior.

The mountain snowpack has been very unstable for most of the winter. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the danger was ‘considerable’ for most of the central mountain areas including where Tuesday’s avalanche occurred.

Michelotti becomes the fourth fatality from avalanches this season. The most recent was on February 23rd when a man skiing in the backcountry as part of a group of eight was buried alive by and avalanche near Aspen.

Avalanche claims life of skier near Aspen

An avalanche near Aspen claimed the life of a backcountry skier on Tuesday. (File - Wikimedia Commons)
An avalanche near Aspen claimed the life of a backcountry skier on Tuesday. (File Photo - Wikimedia Commons)

The avalanche danger has been high throughout much of Colorado this year and that was highlighted today as rescuers pulled the body of a skier from a slide near Aspen. The victim is the third fatality of the season in Colorado.

Pitkin County Sheriff’s Department officials said the avalanche was triggered at 4:00pm on Tuesday in he Lindley Hut area and 911 received a call at about 6:00pm. The skier was part of a group of eight that supposedly had backcountry experience. Rescuers were on site this morning and pulled the victim out at about 9:00am.

Overall, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) said the avalanche danger was ‘considerable’ across much of the state. The center said that the danger is decreasing but “human triggered avalanches remain probable on steep mid and high elevation slopes.”

Dozens of incidents have been reported this season; two prior to yesterday’s were fatal. On January 6th the season turned deadly near Battle Mountain outside the Vail Ski Area when an out-of-bounds snowboarder died in an avalanche. The second fatality of the season occurred on February 11th in the Ridgway area in southwestern Colorado.

Heavy snow, in particular in the southwestern part of the state, has made conditions ripe for avalanches. Officials urge backcountry users to ensure they have appropriate gear with them and know the dangers of the area they are venturing. At a minimum, experts recommend all members of parties carry an emergency beacon, shovel and probe pole.

Winter weather preparedness articles added to Weather Education

Please view the Winter Weather Preparedness series to ensure you are ready for the winter!
Please view the Winter Weather Preparedness series to ensure you are ready for the winter!

We recently published a series of articles from the National Weather Service as part of Colorado’s Winter Weather Preparedness Week.  We have now made those stories easier to find by adding them to the Weather Education menu on the left of every page. 

This series of articles is a ‘must read’ for anyone living or traveling in Colorado or any place else that receives severe winter weather.  Covering a wide range of related topics, these articles help ensure you are ready for the coming winter.  The articles cover the following topics:

 

Part 1 Winter travel safety
Part 2 Watches…warnings…and advisories
Part 3 High winds
Part 4 Wind chill temperatures and hypothermia
Part 5  Avalanche safety
Review  Winter Weather Preparedness Week review

Wild Western Weather 2008 announced

Wild Western Weather 2008 will be held on November 18th.
Wild Western Weather 2008 will be held on November 18th.

The channel 7 24 / 7 Weather Center has accounced an exciting event – Wild Western Weather 2008.  The event will be held at the Wild Life Experience in Parker on Tuesday, November 18th from 6:00pm to 10:00pm.  This looks to be a great event with a number of notable speakers.  

Some of the highlights include: 

  • Tim Samaras – Tornado Expert – featured in National Geographic Magazine, “Inside Tornadoes – The Latest Research: Twistex 2008” 
  • Tony Laubach – Storm Chaser – “The Windsor Tornado vs Douglas County Landspouts” 
  • Dr. Walt Lyons – Lightning Researcher – “Flash Facts – Red Sprites, Blue Jets and Other Rare Airities” 
  • Ethan Green – Director, Colorado Avalanche Information Center – “Avalanches and the Big Snow Winter of 2007-08” 
  • Dr. Thomas Schlatter – NOAA’s Earth System Research Lab and the University of Colorado – “The Pine Bark Beetle – A Canary for Climate Change?”
  • I do wish they had chosen a more central location for it or at least held the event on the weekend.  It is pretty tough for anyone who works and lives north to try to make it down there. 

    For more information, check it out on channel 7’s website here:  http://www.thedenverchannel.com/weather/5103957/detail.html

    Avalanche safety – Be prepared or die

    Avalanches in Colorado claim an average of six lives per year.  Be prepared!
    Avalanches in Colorado claim an average of six lives per year. Be prepared!

    As snow starts to fall, many Coloradoans and out of state visitors will take advantage of it and head to the mountains for a variety of outdoor activities.  Whether skiing, snowshoeing, or hiking, anyone who spends time outdoors in the high country needs to be aware of the danger avalanches present.  On average six people die in Colorado every year from avalanches and being prepared is an essential survival skill. 

    In this fifth in a series on Winter Weather Preparedness from the National Weather Service, ThorntonWeather.com helps you understand avalanches, where they occur, how to protect yourself and where to go for more information.

    Part 1 Winter travel safety
    Part 2 Watches…warnings…and advisories
    Part 3 High winds
    Part 4 Wind chill temperatures and hypothermia
    Part 5  Avalanche safety
    Review  Winter Weather Preparedness Week review

    PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
    600 AM MDT FRI OCT 24 2008

    Avalanches – Are you prepared?

    Thousands of avalanches occur each winter in the mountains of Colorado.  With the enormous popularity of winter sports in Colorado, this poses a risk to skiers, snowboarders, hikers and snowmobilers.  On average 6 people die in avalanches in the state of Colorado every year.  Anyone who travels into the high country in the winter should be prepared for avalanches and know how to avoid them. 

    The first thing to know is most avalanches occur during or just after snowstorms and most occur on a slope of 30 to 45 degrees. A significant snowfall may result in an unstable snowpack.  By waiting 36 hours after a big snowstorm you may allow the snow to become more stable.  If you stay in valleys away from avalanche chutes, in stands of dense trees, or on gentle slopes you can minimize your avalanche risk.   

    Continue reading Avalanche safety – Be prepared or die