Avalanche danger will continue through this weekend, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center warns, as the western slope braces for more snowfall.
If you’re planning a ski trip in Colorado this holiday weekend, you should consider brushing up on your avalanche skills first. That’s the message from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), which strongly cautioned skiers in the state amid unusually harsh conditions and a rash of recent deaths.
Four people have died in several avalanches since Dec. 26, the organization stated in a press release, and “dangerous” conditions will persist through Martin Luther King, Jr., Day on Jan. 16.
CAIC attributed the higher-than-usual danger to heavy snowfall in early December and January, which piled on top of a deep base layer from the early season.
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“We’ve seen more avalanches this year than we do on a typical year, and recently they’ve gotten much bigger,” said Ethan Greene, CAIC’s Director. “We need everyone headed into the backcountry to plan their trip carefully and make sure they avoid avalanche hazards.”
Greene went on to assert that stopping the “deadly trend” of recent avalanche fatalities is a priority. The center’s accident reports reveal two snowmobilers, one backcountry skier, and one sidecountry rider killed in avalanches over the past three weekends. The incidents caught eight people in total.
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