3rd Avalanche Death of 2014/15 for USA Yesterday in Colorado

The USA just experienced its 3rd Avalanche Death of the 2014/15 winter season.  The victim was a male snowshoer who was killed yesterday at around 12,000-feet in the Mt. Kelso area of Colorado.   The avalanche danger was rated at moderate the day of the avalanche.

Last winter, the USA experienced 35 avalanche deaths.

Colorado Avalanche Center Report:

A party of two climbers met at the base of the Steven’s Gulch road near the Bakersville exit on I-70. Their goal was to climb [14,000-ft] Torrey’s Peak via the Kelso Ridge route. They were joined by a third climber and formed a group of three. The group traveled on snow shoes up the Steven’s Gulch road to the summer trail head. From there, they followed an existing skin track along the east side of Mt. Kelso.

The skin track took the group along the edge of Mt. Kelso and into the track of several avalanche paths. The group expressed concern with the route, but did not leave the existing track. They reached a slope of particular concern and decided to cross one at a time. The first climber crossed the slope and stopped to watch the second. The second climber traveled along the skin track and across the slope.

The avalanche released and washed him into low-angle terrain and buried him in debris. The rest of the group used a single set of beacon, probe, shovel, and multiple snow shoes to locate the victim, but could not revive him. They called 911 and the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s office and Alpine Search and Rescue Teams responded. They reported a burial depth of 1.5m.  – CAIC