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Avalanche north of Silverton catches 2 skiers

No fatalities, but skiers lucky to be alive

Two backcountry skiers in the northern San Juan Mountains were caught and carried in an avalanche on Saturday, which buried U.S. Highway 550 north of Silverton on Red Mountain Pass, resulting in the road’s closure for most of the day.

According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, around 11:30 a.m. a group of five skiers were coming down the Eagle avalanche path above Highway 550 when the skiers triggered a slide.

Two of the skiers were caught and carried in the avalanche at an elevation of about 12,200 feet. No fatalities occurred, but the two skiers did suffer injuries.

The slide spilled out into Highway 550, causing a debris pile about 12 to 15 feet deep and up to 350 feet wide, the CAIC reported. The Colorado Department of Transportation responded, clearing the highway that connects Silverton and Ouray.

Mike Cooperstein, an avalanche forecaster, told The Durango Herald more information would be available Monday after CAIC completes its investigation. But he said the skiers are lucky to be alive.

“Surprisingly everyone walked away because it was quite a large avalanche,” Cooperstein said. “They just got themselves in the wrong spot.”

Cooperstein said the unseasonably warm weather this week is a big change for the snowpack this time of year, but isn’t solely responsible for the slide.

“When temperatures rise very rapidly, it can make it more dangerous, but that’s not a predictor of danger by any means,” he said. “It’s pretty complex out there.”

Already this season, there have been 11 avalanche-related incidents, the CAIC reported, and four people have died.

jromeo@durangoherald.com



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