COLORADO, USA — Planning to venture out into the backcountry over the holiday weekend? Be careful. This weekend might have the most dangerous avalanche conditions of the year, according to Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).
An avalanche warning and avalanche advisories have been posted for nearly all of the Colorado mountain regions
Some parts of the mountains are forecasted to get feet of new snow this holiday weekend. Some regions will see very dangerous avalanche conditions form, forecasters said.
"The avalanche danger is going to be higher and avalanche conditions are going to be trickier this coming weekend than what we've seen in the last few weeks," said CAIC Director Ethan Greene.
The highest potential to trigger an avalanche will happen in the middle of this weekend, CAIC said. Avalanches this weekend will be large, wide-breaking and easy to trigger, according to forecasters.
"It's been a dry winter in Colorado, and we're all excited that we are finally getting some snow," Greene said. "This holiday weekend, a lot of people will be getting out and into the mountains, and there are lots of great, safe places to go. We want people to check the avalanche forecast and make a plan that keeps them off of the dangerous slopes."
Part of the reason is the continued snowfall.
“And we are going to see actually a pretty big wind event on Friday, so continued, kind of unsettled weather over the next couple of days into Sunday,” Greene said.
>Watch the full news conference with the CAIC:
Greene said watching for wind drifted areas is one the most important ways to avoid the most dangerous conditions.
“You can recognize these because they’re kind of smooth and round, and so if you’re seeing a steep slope with these features on them, we are going to see a lot of these near tree lines where there is enough tree coverage to collect the snow,” Greene said. “Those are areas you definitely want to avoid.”
If you are going into the backcountry, he said you should check the avalanche forecast and pack avalanche rescue equipment, which includes an avalanche rescue transceiver, a probe pole and a shovel.
Steve Wilson, the Alpine Rescue Team spokesperson, said that his team is ready to respond to any emergencies.
They are all volunteers, and do not charge for their services. Wilson emphasized calling 911 right away if you see an avalanche that could have buried people or if you get caught yourself.
“The sooner the ball starts rolling, the better, because that clock starts ticking right away,” Wilson said.
He said that the best plan is to wait and ski the backcountry another day.
“The good slopes will be there when the avalanche danger is a little less, and it will be better skiing and riding,” Wilson said.
There have been deadly avalanches four of the last 12 years around the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, CAIC said.
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