COLORADO, USA — As snow continued to fall in the mountains on Friday, the danger of avalanches was high, especially in ranges on the western side of the Continental Divide.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) said very dangerous avalanche conditions were expected to continue throughout Friday and travel wasn't recommended in the following zones:
- Steamboat/Flat Tops
- Aspen
- Gunnison
- North San Juan
- South San Juan
CAIC said it would be easy to trigger a large avalanche in those areas, as new snow and wind were depositing thick slabs of snow on a weak surface. CAIC said to avoid going on or under slopes steeper than about 30 degrees, especially at near-treeline elevation.
> Video above from February: Family remembers snowmobiler killed in Grand County avalanche.
On Thursday, CAIC recorded 11 field reports of avalanches, mostly around Gunnison, Steamboat and Southern San Juan, though there was also one report each on the Front Range and on Loveland Pass.
So far this season, there have been no reports of anyone killed in an avalanche in the United States.
The 2020-2021 season was the deadliest avalanche season in Colorado in years. Twenty people were caught in avalanches last season, and 12 of them died, according to CAIC. The victims who died were nine skiers, a snowboarder and two snowmobilers.
According to CAIC, an individual can trigger an avalanche on older, weak layers of snow. Wind-loaded northerly and east-facing slopes are the most dangerous. If you see cracking or collapsing in the snow, head to lower-angle slopes.
The National Avalanche Center offers the following tips on how to stay safe in avalanche terrain:
- Be aware of the weather forecast and the avalanche forecast for the area where you're be. Those forecasts are available from CAIC and the National Avalanche Center.
- When going into an area where an avalanche might happen, carry an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel, and know how to use them. Consider taking an inflatable avalanche airbag pack.
- Get training on how to identify avalanche terrain, travel safely and perform a rescue. The National Avalanche Center provides videos here and CAIC offers education programs.
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