Snowboarder dead after getting caught in an avalanche on Berthoud Pass

GRAND COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- One person is dead after they were caught in an avalanche on Berthoud Pass Monday.

According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), a snowboarder triggered the deadly avalanche on the west side of Berthoud Pass and lost their life after getting caught in it.

The Grand County Sheriff's Office said the initial investigation determined four people were caught in the avalanche slide. Two people were buried.

Bystanders and family were able to rescue one person alive. The second person, a 44-year-old man, was found but died.

The sheriff's office said he was pronounced dead at the scene. His name and the official cause of death will be released by the coroner's office.

Multiple agencies responded to the avalanche, including the Grand County EMS, Grand County Search and Rescue, Alpine Search and Rescue, East Grand Fire Department, Flight For Life, and the CAIC.

According to the CAIC, similar conditions to where this happened are across much of the Northern and Central Mountains Tuesday. The CAIC said this inside is a "tragic reminder that you can trigger a dangerous avalanche on many wind-loaded slopes steeper than about 30 degrees."

The CAIC extended its condolences to all of the friends and family of the man who lost his life.

According to the CAIC, people can reduce the chances of triggering an avalanche by avoiding terrain features where the snowpack is thinner such as around a rock outcrop, near trees, or toward the bottom of a convex slope.