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Grand County Search and Rescue responded Saturday afternoon to a call of an overdue backcountry skier and found them buried in an avalanche on Berthoud Pass.
Courtesy Grand County Search and Rescue
BERTHOUD PASS A solo backcountry skier was killed in an avalanche Saturday on Berthoud Pass in nearby Grand County.
Grand County Search and Rescue responded to a call of an overdue backcountry skier at about 3 p.m. Saturday. The skier was in the area of Chimney Chute in the First Creek Drainage of Berthoud Pass, according to a report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
Search and rescue volunteers found a recent avalanche in the area when they arrived. Crews searched the avalanche path and found the skier fully buried, according to rescue team officials.
CAIC releases final, detailed reports on two deadly avalanches from last week
Colorado Avalanche Information Center
and last updated 2020-12-24 09:12:12-05
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has released its final reports on two avalanches â one Friday, one Saturday â that left three people dead.
The first avalanche occurred on the morning of Friday, Dec. 18. A man snowmobiled to Ohio Pass and explored the area for a couple hours. He ran into a group of three other snowmobilers at a high point southwest of where the avalanche began. The man told the group he d already skied three runs and planned to go back down to his snowmobile and then head back to town for work, according to the CAIC report.
With danger high, Colorado avalanche center increases messaging
Durango, Colorado Fri 77% chance of precipitation
An unprecedented push to get skiers’ eyes on forecasts
Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020 6:44 PM Updated: Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020 10:23 PM A 6-foot-tall skier stands above a slab avalanche that ran about 100 meters on Jones Pass on Dec, 18, 2020. No one was injured. It was one of 132 avalanches reported between Dec. 18 and 20, 2020, 49 of which were triggered by backcountry skiers. Nine people were caught in slides during the period and three died. Wil Rickards/Colorado Avalanche Information Center Crested Butte’s beloved Jeff Schneider was killed in an avalanche on the “Friendly Finish” slope of the Anthracites near Irwin on Friday.
With danger high, Colorado avalanche center increases messaging
Durango, Colorado Fri 77% chance of precipitation
An unprecedented push to get skiers’ eyes on forecasts
Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020 6:44 PM Updated: Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020 10:23 PM A 6-foot-tall skier stands above a slab avalanche that ran about 100 meters on Jones Pass on Dec, 18, 2020. No one was injured. It was one of 132 avalanches reported between Dec. 18 and 20, 2020, 49 of which were triggered by backcountry skiers. Nine people were caught in slides during the period and three died. Wil Rickards/Colorado Avalanche Information Center Crested Butte’s beloved Jeff Schneider was killed in an avalanche on the “Friendly Finish” slope of the Anthracites near Irwin on Friday.
North side of the Battleship. The red circle indicates the area where two skiers were found dead. (CNN)Three skiers lost their lives to avalanches over the weekend during an especially dangerous period in Colorado s popular backcountry, officials said.
On Sunday, the bodies of two backcountry skiers were recovered from an avalanche in the North San Juan zone after they were found buried by the snow, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).
Police identified the skiers as Albert Perry, 55, and Dr. Jeff Paffendorf, 51, both of Durango, Colorado, according to the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management Facebook page.