Caution urged for Colorado backcountry visitors
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center is urging mountain visitors to be cautious after up to 40 inches of new snow covered the ground from a series of storms.
An avalanche advisory has been issued for much of the state.
Avalanche center spokesman Brian Lazar says people can be fooled by the new snowpack and said some areas above tree line have a potential for up to 2-foot-thick slab avalanches.
According to the Summit Daily (http://tinyurl.com/kvflbxo ), even a small avalanche could be nasty because victims could be dragged along the ground where there is a lot of debris and rocks.
El Paso County Search and Rescue is gearing up for another avalanche season. Avalanches happen less frequently in El Paso County than in Pitkin and Summit counties. The county’s rescue team is called to other counties to help recover bodies caught in avalanches.
The rescue team’s EMS field director, Skee Hipszky, is not surprised to see an avalanche advisory issued.
We have had some years where those come earlier in the season than others. This year looks to be a little more snow, again mother nature will do what she wants,” said Hipszky.
There is not a lot of snow on the ground but Hipszky said avalanches can still be very dangerous.
“The whole mountain side potentially is moving and if there is rocks or trees, blocks of ice, there are a lot of potentially things you can get hurt on if the avalanche brings you into it,” said Hipszky.
T.J. Hindenburg was caught in an avalanche five years ago. Hindenburg and his friends decided to ski Loveland Pass because they didn’t want to deal with crowds at the busy ski resorts.
“I was the first one to drop, dropped in and went about 50 feet and then everything started breaking around me and underneath by feet. I didn’t really feel anything anymore and then I just got caught up and swallowed and just took me down and I went straight down,” said Hindenburg.
He said it was one of the scariest moments of his life.
“I didn’t know which way was up or down and there was no light and I was freezing cold and had no idea what was going on,” said Hindenburg
Hindenburg was equipped with proper avalanche gear so his friends were able to trace the signal from his beacon and used rods through the snow to find him.
He was buried for 10 to 15 minutes before his friends pulled him out.
“I had what I needed but the knowledge would have been best of all. I should had just never have gone,” said Hindenburg.
Hindenburg has taken avalanche courses since the incident. He checks apps on his smart phone to track avalanche conditions and assess snow conditions on the slope before deciding if it’s safe.
“I am definitely more knowledgeable and I have a lot more respect for the mountain,” said Hindenburg. “Being covered by one definitely gives you more respect. Everything can hurt you in a way so you just kind of have to take it was a grain of salt and be happy you’re out there.”
