Colorado avalanches: two die in separate avalanches on Valentine’s Day

Colorado avalanches: two die in separate avalanches on Valentine’s Day

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A snowboarder was caught Sunday morning in an avalanche near the Loveland Pass ski area, the CAIC website shows.

The snowboarder was traveling in a rural area about 50 miles west of Denver when the avalanche struck at about 9:30 a.m. local time (11:00 p.m. ET).

The CAIC preliminary report said the avalanche ran on an eastern slope east of Mount Trelease at an altitude of more than 12,000 feet.

The Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office told CNN subsidiary KCNC that the victim was a 57-year-old man from nearby St. Louis. Mary’s, Colorado, was.

According to CAIC, search and rescue personnel found the victim in an avalanche.

About 50 miles north, a snowmobile was caught and killed in a second avalanche west of Rollins Pass on Mount Epworth on Sunday, CAIC reported.

The avalanche occurred on an east side, above the tree line slope, and buried the snowmobile under its sleigh on Lake Pumphouse.

Colorado has seen six flood cases just this month for a total of ten this season, more than any other state according to the CAIC score.

In December, three skiers were killed in the country every day.

Three men, all local officials from Eagle County, Colorado, were killed in an avalanche near Ophir on the first of the month, CNN reported earlier.
Two skiers were trapped a few days later in an avalanche near Vail, with one digging out and the other dying, according to CAIC.
How to avoid avalanches and what to do if you are trapped in one
Fatal avalanches have also been reported in six other states, including a Washington troop that was killed in snow sports in Kittitas County, Washington last week, and four skiers abroad who were caught and killed in Utah earlier this month.

Nikki Champion, a forecaster at the Utah Avalanche Center, told CNN earlier this month that the deadly season could be due to two reasons – people enjoying more time outside and a ‘really dangerous snow pack’.

This year’s avalanche was probably more active due to a ‘persistently weak layer’ of snow, she said.

CNN’s Keith Allen contributed to this report.

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