Colorado avalanche officials ‘worried’ that deadly avalanche conditions could coincide with Thanksgiving holiday

No one was injured or buried when a splitboarder triggered an avalanche that pulled him over rocky terrain in the Front Range over the weekend.

But ahead of a winter storm that is forecast to drop feet of snow on the Colorado Rocky Mountains ahead of Thanksgiving, state avalanche officials are warning that avalanche danger is expected to reach high, or Level 4 of 5, with large, dangerous slides possible.

“We’re particularly worried because we’ll see the most dangerous avalanche conditions we’ve seen so far this season when more people than usual will be getting out to recreate because of the holiday,” Colorado Avalanche Information Director Ethan Greene said in a statement.

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Up until this point, most of the avalanches in the northern mountain region have been small, with a few notable exceptions in the Gore and Tenmile ranges, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center forecast for Monday, Nov. 25.

But after and during this storm, backcountry travelers will be able to trigger bigger, more consequential avalanches. Those planning to recreate in the backcountry should keep an eye out for avalanche watches and warnings from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center this week.

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“The avalanche danger is going to be higher, and avalanche conditions are going to be trickier this coming week than what we’ve seen so far this season,” Greene said. “There are still lots of great, safe places to go. We want people to check the avalanche forecast and make a plan that keeps them out of avalanche terrain or off of the dangerous slopes.”

Front Range avalanche catches snowboarder

The avalanche on the Front Range occurred Sunday as two backcountry snowboarders planned to descend a steep, northeast-facing slope near Berthoud Pass, Colorado avalanche officials wrote in a field report. It was the second avalanche accident of the season reported to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The two had read the avalanche forecast before starting their trip, discussed the consequences and risks of an avalanche on the type of terrain feature they planned to tackle and talked about how if they did trigger an avalanche, it would be small, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center field report.

While ascending, one of the snowboarders dug a quick hand pit and found a several-inch-thick slab of drifted snow that failed while isolating the column, the field report states. The snowboarders reportedly thought the slab was too thin to result in an avalanche.

But after the first rider descended the slope without incident, the second rider triggered an avalanche in wind-drifted snow after several turns and the slide carried him through rocks, according to the field report.

While the snowboarder was not buried or injured in this avalanche, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said that the incoming snow this week could increase the size and consequences of avalanches.

“There will be an increased likelihood of natural and human-triggered avalanches that are large enough to seriously injure or kill a person this week,” Green said.

Snowstorm could up Colorado avalanche danger to Level 4 of 5

As of Monday, Nov. 25, the avalanche danger in the northern mountain region was low and medium, or Levels 1 and 2 of 5, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. But with up to 3 feet of powder expected in the northern mountains through Thanksgiving, the areas that receive the most snow could rise to high avalanche danger, or Level 4 of 5.

Across the northern mountain region, avalanche officials say there are multiple weak layers buried in the snow. Avalanches breaking in new snow or on the surface will be the primary concern as the storm begins, but that could change quickly as avalanches start to break on faceted layers leftover from snow earlier in November, according to the avalanche forecast.

Colorado avalanche officials don’t know exactly when this transition will happen, but backcountry travelers should be prepared to deal with avalanches that break above them as well as avalanches they can trigger from a distance.

With the storm, slabs will become far more continuous across slopes, and avalanches will likely run further, the avalanche forecast states. Avalanche officials say that the best way to stay safe during this storm is to seek out wind-sheltered and low-angle slopes.

“You’ll be able to find plenty of fun slopes to play on without exposing yourself to hazardous terrain,” Colorado avalanche officials wrote in the forecast. “Make conservative choices, and don’t let powder fever take the place of good decision making.”

This story is from SummitDaily.com