Colorado Has Tied the Record: Most Avalanche Deaths in 1 Season

Recently, Colorado completed a gruesome record: This season has been one of the most deadly when it comes to individuals dying in avalanche-related incidents.

According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center on Facebook, Colorado's avalanche deaths In 2020-21 have tied with the season of 1992-93, which was previously considered the most deadly.

12 deaths have occurred this season so far, most recently, the death of a sidecountry rider on March 22. The Facebook post from CAIC said:

This accident is a tragic reminder that you need to carefully assess the danger of specific slopes before you commit to traveling in extreme terrain.

The rider was caught in Lime Creek off of Edwards and apparently unintentionally triggered the avalanche after his descent, the slope measuring around 45-48 degrees in steepness. The rider was unknowingly skiing atop a soft slab of old snow about three feet deep, that "broke in layers" near the ground. There were two sidecountry skiers who were caught, according to the official report from CAIC, but just one survived.

The Avalanche Center wants to remind skiers that it is still possible to trigger avalanches even when initial reports read that danger is low (or a level 1 of 5). The skiing community is certainly in mourning today with this new record, and we hope that upcoming seasons will be safer for our outdoor enthusiasts.