Avalanche danger on the rise
Storms create some “very dangerous” conditions east of Vail Pass, experts say.
Avalanche danger has climbed to a high level in the Vail area, Summit County and Front Range mountains after a series of holiday-weekend snowstorms that pounded the high county.
“Localized, heavier-than-expected snowfall and strong winds have resulted in a rapid increase in the avalanche danger particularly in areas east of Vail Pass,” the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said in a bulletin Monday. “Very dangerous avalanche conditions exist in all above treeline areas. Travel in and below avalanche terrain is not recommended at this time.”
Avalanche forecasters say the snowpack is weak after an extended period of dry conditions and warm weather followed by the powerful storms that slammed into Colorado on Saturday and were expected to taper off late Christmas Day.
“It is not a matter of if we will see larger avalanches,” the CAIC forecasters said. “It is really a matter of exactly how much new and wind-deposited snow it will take to tip the balance. It is time to pay attention to the potential for larger avalanches on all steep slopes. Dangerous avalanche conditions will continue to exist as long as we see daily small, incremental loads to the snowpack.”
Officials say backcountry travelers need to be conservative regarding where they choose to go throughout this week.
“You may be able to remotely trigger avalanches from below or from adjacent slopes,” the forecasters said. “Travel one at a time in avalanche terrain, carefully consider where to stop and regroup and make sure you are paying attention to signs of instability such as cracking, collapsing and recent avalanche activity on similar aspects.”
While the influx of snow might mean trouble for backcountry skiers and riders, resorts are basking in what it means for in-bounds terrain.
Arapahoe Basin, Winter Park Resort and Steamboat all landed more than 20 inches of snow through Monday morning.
Ski areas were opening new terrain over the holiday weekend to cater to the crush.
“It just keeps dumping!” Winter Park said on Twitter. “Santa is just too good to us!”
Loveland Ski Area said it had surpassed its 100-inch snowfall mark for the season. On Sunday, ski patrollers were detonating charges that shook the resort and appeared to trigger small slides.
All of the new snow created a tough drive on some areas of Interstate 70 on Monday, particularly west of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels and on Vail Pass, though there weren’t major issues reported like those that snarled travel on Saturday night.