Avalanche
One man was killed, and another person was seriously injured over the weekend after getting caught in an avalanche in Colorado. It might be almost summer, but snow is still on the ground, which means avalanches are still possible.
The above video explains why dangerous avalanches still occur near summer. An expert explains two types of avalanches: dry snow avalanches during the winter months and wet snow avalanches during the warmer months.
That shot of the helicopter landing on the peak of Longs is epic!
This is what you get with climate change. Avalanche season is all screwed up now. Looks like we need to adjust the calendar for Avalanche season or maybe just consider that there is NO Avalanche season and it’s something these silly websites made up?
Maybe it’s because the place is very crowded. Whenever nature hiccups there’s someone in the way.
The investigation is still pending, but with the information we have, I don’t think it’s fair to categorize this avalanche as a typical “wet slide.” Temperatures were significantly colder on Saturday (well below freezing) and the party was struck at 9 AM with clouds in place. It’s highly unlikely that this was a wet slide. I’m thinking the water in the rocks from the previous days’ melt was still in the process of freezing, expanded, and caused a rockfall that landed in the middle of the couloir, picking up snow as it went. Be curious to see what the investigators conclude:
https://avalanche.state.co.us/caic/acc/acc_report.php?acc_id=822&accfm=rep