First avalanche of the season strikes Crested Butte
Recent snow in the mountain around Crested Butte has made for some dangerous avalanche conditions in Colorado’s High Country.
Backcountry skiers triggered a massive slide on Mount Emmons on Sunday, but luckily no one was hurt. Avalanche spotters have seen dozens of others slides in the Elk Range that were big enough to easily bury or kill people.
The new snow has come early compared to last year, and that’s caused some to venture out into the backcountry despite warnings to use extreme caution.
Forecasters with the Crested Butte avalanche center say this is a dangerous time to be in the backcountry and only experts with the proper training should venture our until conditions stabilize.
“We actually have some dangerous conditions in the backcountry right now, we’ve had some snow that sits and rots and turns into a weak foundation for the next storm that comes waits until the next storm comes in. Came in warm wet and dense, created some very dangerous avalanche conditions,” said Steve Banks, lead forecaster for the Avalanche team in Crested Butte.
The Crested Butte Avalanche Center says the current avalanche danger in the backcountry is considerable and more snow is on the way. They advise anyone considering snow travel in the backcountry to take an avalanche safety class and carry the proper gear before heading out into the mountains.
