April 14, 2021
By Kevin Fixler
A dozen skiers and snowmobilers died in avalanches in Colorado during winter 2020-21, primarily in the backcountry, which sadly matched a state record set in 1993. The total number of deaths was the most of any state this season, a distinction held by Colorado for the past 70 years.
The public has access to such data because it is closely tracked by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, a Boulder-based state agency. The statistics are used for a variety of purposes, including making forecasts, reviewing trends and promoting education and safety in the increasingly popular backcountry playground.
(iStock image by Sward85)
Over the past three days, Eldora Mountain Ski Resort has logged a series of tragedies. First came a collision involving two skiers that required a multi-agency response. The next day, a 26-year-old snowboarder died after colliding with a tree, and a sixteen-year-old skier suffered the same fate less than 24 hours later. We care deeply for the Eldora community and are committed to the well-being of all guests and staff. It is because of this that the recent accidents, which were unrelated and occurred under different circumstances and at different locations, are so heartbreaking for all of us, says Eldora spokesman Sam Bass. We offer our sincere sympathies to the family and friends of those involved, and we hold them in our thoughts and hearts during this difficult time.
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Nearly every Monday morning for the past few months, Boulder resident Leah Cousin and her 5-year-old son Levi wake up at 6 a.m., pile their boots, skis, and snow gear into their gray Subaru, and drive up Boulder Canyon to Eldora Ski Resort. Since Boulder Valley School District has asynchronous online classes each Monday, they’re able to arrive early (they’re usually one of the first cars in the lot), get in some runs, and then head home to complete Levi’s schoolwork that afternoon. Cousin whose family has been taking the pandemic very seriously, visiting stores just for essential items and only seeing close friends occasionally, always in outdoor settings has generally felt comfortable during her time on the slopes. “Since it’s cold outs
A day after President Joe Biden ordered that masks be worn on federal lands as one measure to fight coronavirus, both federal agencies and the public are still trying to
Photo by Liz Copan / Studio Copan
Safe Slopes Colorado, a coalition with the goal of increasing safety and transparency at ski areas, recently released a report detailing the number of traumatic snowsports injuries over the course of the 2017-18 ski season. The report includes data from the Colorado Trauma Registry and was compiled by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The report tallies 1,426 injuries that took place at Colorado ski areas and were treated at Level I-III trauma centers from Nov. 14, 2017, to April 15, 2018. A hospital’s designation equates to the level of care it can provide, with a Level I center capable of providing total care for every aspect of injury