Snowmobiler Killed Tuesday by Avalanche Near Ruby Mountain, CO

avalanche, colorado, ruby mountain, — Figure 3: This avalanche broke on a layer of weak faceted crystals about 3 feet deep and then stepped down to deeper buried weak layers in some spots.

The search for a snowmobiler missing following an avalanche near Ruby Mountain, CO on Tuesday concluded yesterday with the discovery of his body.

Related: Head On A Swivel – Snowmobile Avalanche Awareness

21 people have now died in avalanches in the USA in the past 19-days making this the deadliest avalanche cycle in US recreational history by far.

The preliminary report from the CAIC is below:

Avalanche Details

Location: Near Ruby Mountain, Southeast of Rand
State: Colorado
Date: 2021/02/16
Time: 2:00 PM (Estimated)
Summary Description: 2 snowmobilers caught, 1 partially buried, 1 fully buried, and killed
Primary Activity: Snowmobiler
Primary Travel Mode: Snowmobile

Number

Caught: 2
Fully Buried: 1
Injured: 0
Killed: 1

Avalanche

Type: HS
Trigger: AM – Snowmobile
Trigger (subcode): u – An unintentional release
Size – Relative to Path: R4
Size – Destructive Force: D3
Sliding Surface: O – Within Old Snow

Site

Slope Aspect: NE
Site Elevation: 11400 ft
Slope Angle: 37 °
Slope Characteristic: —

Accident Summary

On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, at around 3:00 PM, two snowmobilers were caught in a large avalanche near Ruby Mountain southeast of Rand, Colorado. Rider 1 was partially buried sitting upright on his snowmobile and was not injured. Rider 2 was fully buried and killed. The accident occurred near treeline on a northeast-facing slope at around 11,400 feet. The avalanche broke on a weak layer about 3 feet below the surface and stepped down to deeper buried weak layers near the ground in some places. It was approximately three-quarters of a mile wide and ran about 400 vertical feet.

Riders 1 and 2 were with four other snowmobilers at the time of the accident. Rider 2 was standing on a steep slope away from his snowmobile when the avalanche occurred. He was swept downhill and buried about two feet deep. He was not wearing an avalanche transceiver. Despite efforts from the other riders and Search and Rescue (SAR) members who arrived a few hours after the accident, he was not located on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, an avalanche search dog alerted rescuers to his location. His body was recovered by SAR teams on Wednesday afternoon.

Our condolences to the friends and family of the victim.