Quandary Peak backcountry skier says group that triggered avalanche on his friend left without apologizing
Another avalanche at Rocky Mountain National Park also highlights the importance of being cognizant of other backcountry users, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center
Colorado Avalanche Information Center/Courtesy photo
Skiers say an encounter in the Colorado backcountry grew ugly this past weekend when one party triggered an avalanche that swept the member of another group through a couloir at Quandary Peak.
Avon resident Trevor Carlson said that on Sunday morning, April 21, he and his three friends were skiing one-by-one to assess the conditions through the couloir on the 14,000-foot peak when a group of three dropped into the couloir from above all at once.
Carlson said he and his friends were about a third of the way down the couloir when the third skier in the other group triggered an avalanche that swept his friend off his feet, over rocks and an estimated 1,000 feet to the bottom of the couloir, where he was partially buried. While his crew rushed to rescue the friend, he said the other group left without helping or apologizing.
“I’m wildly disappointed by the actions of people who claim to be locals and claim to be backcountry enthusiasts,” Carlson said Tuesday, April 23, in a phone interview.
Carlson said his friend was “super lucky” to not be injured in the avalanche and was able to skin out on his own. Noting that he’s been caught in an avalanche before, Carlson said “you have to take this game really seriously.”
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Traveling in the backcountry can be dangerous, especially in avalanche terrain, Carlson said. As the other group descended from above, Carlson said they called him and his friends a vulgar word. Then after the avalanche, he said they were “nonapologetic, like, ‘Sorry, but what do you want us to do.'”
Carlson reported the avalanche to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center through a field report. He said he hopes the other group involved comes forward to admit their actions were wrong and to help encourage safe backcountry recreation.
Colorado Avalanche Information Center Director Ethan Greene said that the field report Carlson submitted highlights the importance of maintaining awareness for others in a busy backcountry environment.
“The field report is definitely concerning,” Greene said. “I think it’s something people are dealing with in all types of recreation in Colorado — that there are more and more people enjoying our public lands and doing these different types of backcountry recreation.”
Greene noted that in addition to the report from Quandary, another field report from the Rocky Mountain National Park area over the weekend outlined a second avalanche incident that involved multiple parties.
On Saturday, April 20, the party that submitted the field report was debating if a north-facing aspect was still cold enough to go up when they witnessed a slide from Dead Elk couloir on Flattop Mountain.
At least four people were caught in the slide, the field report states. A group doing a mountaineering class nearby reportedly assisted with helping people caught in the avalanche.
These incidents over the weekend highlight the need for groups of backcountry recreationalists to be aware of one another and to communicate their plans while moving through steep terrain where hazards are present, Greene said.
Anytime someone enters steep terrain there is a chance of knocking rocks or snow — even an avalanche — into the space below them, so people need to be “careful about not putting other people in harm’s way,” Green said.
“When there’s more people, there’s more we need to be thinking about,” Greene said. “I think with the number of people doing these different types of activities, it has just become something we need to be proactive about.”
This story is from SummitDaily.com
