Avalanche
A backcountry skier was killed in an avalanche on Berthoud Pass, Colorado yesterday, December 26, 2020.
This was the 5th avalanche fatality of the 2020/21 winter.
4 of those 5 fatalities have occurred in Colorado.
Colorado has a dangerous snowpack this season and this likely won’t change anytime soon.
A backcountry tourer was caught buried and killed in an avalanche in the First Creek Drainage, of Berthoud Pass, on December 26, 2020.
Preliminary reports are, the avalanche occurred in an area locally known as Chimney Chute, which is a steep, narrow, northeast-facing below treeline chute. The backcountry tourer was located by Grand County Search and Rescue team members with an avalanche probe.
The Grand County Sheriff and Grand County SAR worked into the night to recover the body. CAIC forecasters will visit the accident site on Sunday. Our condolences to the friends and family of the victim.
– Colorado Avalanche Information Center, 12/26/20
Learn more about why early season snow can cause weak layers that last all season in Colorado with the director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center – Dr. Ethan Greene:
