Colorado’s first major winter storm of the fall season has come and gone, and with it, the risks wintery weather were put on display.

According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, the first person-involved avalanche occurred over the weekend as double-digit snow totals stacked up in southern Colorado. Their report on the incident indicates that a duo of backcountry skiers triggered two avalanches near Silverton on Sunday.

The skier was one of two skiing near Silverton Mountain’s grassy run. Halfway down the slope, the first skier “dipped over [a] convex rollover and saw cracking behind with moving snow.” This skier was able to keep their speed and ski out of a small avalanche that occurred. The second skier ended up on the edge of convex rollover and triggered a second slide. Both skiers were ultimately safe following the incident, with avalanches described as small.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center noted that during October, between one and two people get caught in avalanches.

With this last storm, up to two feet of snow got dumped near and above treeline on many high-elevation peaks in southern Colorado.

“Avalanches are possible once snow piles up or drifts deep enough to obscure ground cover,” wrote the Colorado Avalanche Information Center following the incident. “It doesn’t take much on grassy slopes or steep rock slabs.”

Fall avalanches can be a risk for backcountry skiers, late-season hikers, and hunters as they venture into snowy terrain. During fall, avalanches can be the result of a number of factors, from a weak lower layer of snow to temperature swings that cause melting and weaken the overall snowpack. Proceed with caution. Never enter avalanche-prone terrain without proper avalanche safety gear, including a transceiver, a shovel, and a probe. Everyone in a group should have those items on their person, with groups staggering distance from each other to prevent all in a group from getting hit by a slide.

Always check the Colorado Avalanche Information Center website for updates prior to planning any excursion in the snow. Additional information about the specific human-involved avalanche mentioned in this story, along with photos, can be found here.