Backcountry
Industry News
According to the Denver Post, a 47-year-old snowboarder died in the Telluride, CO backcountry yesterday. Gabriel Wright, a long-time local snowboarder in Telluride, was out snowboarding with two friends in the Bear Creek Backcountry outside of Telluride Ski Resort. He was the third to ride down from the Nellie Mine.
The two friends made it down to the bottom and didn’t see Gabe, so they made their way back up. They found him unresponsive and administered CPR for 30 minutes. While doing so, they managed to contact emergency services. San Miguel County Search & Rescue flew into the area by helicopter and extracted his body.
“Gabe was a long-time local and avid backcountry snowboarder, and he will be missed,” stated Deputy Sheriff Chris White.
Gabe’s two friends didn’t see the incident, but it was presumed that he hit a rock in shallow snow after observing the condition of his board. Searchers determined that he was thrown forward and hit a log under the snow at a high rate of speed, which was the ultimate cause of death. The terrain in this area is extremely dangerous, so it’s always important to use caution when traveling in this area.
