Tag: Colorado Avalanche Information Center
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Holiday weekend to bring dangerous avalanche conditions, officials warn
Colorado avalanche officials warn of a dangerous Presidents’ Day weekend in the backcountry, aligning with historic trends in the state. The long weekend is expected to bring the highest levels of avalanche danger Colorado has seen so far in February, a news release from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said. Presidents’ Day weekend is historically…
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Arduous bootpacking unlocks avalanche terrain at several Colorado ski areas
A sunny, bluebird day — much better than a full day of wind and bitter cold in the high alpine. Sunglasses and a ball cap. Lots of snacks and water. A pack for storing layers to be shed. A single AirPod, leaving one ear open for communication. When it comes time for bootpacking Keystone Resort’s…
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Avalanche officials warn of ‘persistent slab problem’ across Colorado mountains
Colorado avalanche officials are warning of dangerous conditions that could linger across the mountains. Following significant snowfall during the holiday, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) reported “considerable” avalanche danger around the state’s northern and central mountains, with a “persistent slab problem” spread across areas popular for Front Ranger skiers and ranges beyond. On its…
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Woman survives 5 days without food in Colorado nature trek-gone-wrong
“What they do by design is going to get somebody killed,” Miguel County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lane Masters said.
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Roof avalanches: A hidden danger for Colorado residents in foothills, canyons
Avalanches can happen in your front yard. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) is advising people who live in the mountain foothills and canyons whose roofs are weighted down with two feet or more of snow not to hang out underneath the eaves for very long. As the weather warms, that build-up of snow on…
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Weekend snow storms to create high avalanche danger throughout Colorado
The avalanche danger in Colorado is about to reach high levels across the state, including zones below treeline, as wind will affect mountain snow first, then heavy accumulations on top of it. Brian Lazar from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center and Aaron Colson with Friends of the CAIC spoke on Instagram Thursday about the incoming…
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50 years of avalanche forecasting in Colorado: A journey of people, technology, nature’s might
For a 14-year-old boy who loved being in the mountains, search and rescue seemed like a fine opportunity. And so there Dale Atkins was in the winter of 1974, strapped to wooden snowshoes with that rawhide webbing, trudging up a slope near Guanella Pass. “The first mission I went on was an avalanche search,” Atkins…
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Colorado continues to lead nation in avalanche danger; last winter saw near-record number of deaths
With Colorado’s first mountain snow comes a grim reminder of avalanche danger. Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) recently published a detailed recap of last winter’s slides that claimed 11 lives. According to CAIC records, the toll was four more than average over the decade that has seen the state continue to lead the nation in…
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Backcountry skier killed in avalanche skied before he was 2, ‘never looked back’
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Joel Shute knew he wanted to ski before he turned two. In 1989, when skiing with children in backpacks was allowed, Joel’s parents, Steve Shute and Lisa Gerstner, would put Joel in a pack, ride the lift, and ski down behind Joel’s 6-year-old brother. Joel Shute in 1989, just weeks before his second birthday, skiing…
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1 dead, 1 injured in avalanche near Steamboat Springs
A backcountry skier is dead and another was injured in an avalanche Saturday near Steamboat Springs, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. The avalanche occurred at 12:20 p.m. in the North Fork of Fish Creek, northeast of Steamboat Springs. Officials said one of the skiers, a male, was buried in the avalanche and became…