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

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

The snowboarder was traveling in a backcountry area about 50 miles west of Denver when the avalanche hit around 9:30 a.m. local time (11 a.m. ET).

The avalanche ran on an east-facing slope east of Mount Trelease at an elevation of more than 12,000 feet, CAIC’s preliminary report said.

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

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

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

The avalanche took place on an east-facing slope above the tree line and buried the snowmobile under its sled on Pumphouse Lake.

Colorado has seen six avalanche fatalities this month, a total of ten this season, more than any other state according to the CAIC count.

In December, three backcountry skiers were killed in two separate avalanches per day each day.

Three men, all local officials from Eagle County, Colorado, were killed in an avalanche near Ophir on the first of the month, CNN previously reported.
According to CAIC, two skiers were caught in an avalanche near Vail a few days later, one digging out and the other dying.
How to avoid avalanches and what to do if you get caught by them
Fatal avalanches have also been reported in six other states, including a Washington State Trooper killed on a snowmobile in Kittitas County, Washington last week, and four backcountry skiers 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 the result of two reasons: people are enjoying more time outdoors and a “ really dangerous snow pack. ”

This year’s avalanche season has likely been more active because of a “persistent weak layer” of snow, she said.

CNN’s Keith Allen contributed to this report.

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