3 die in weekend avalanches
Layer of weak snow that fell in October blamed for slides
DENVER — The deaths of two Colorado men in avalanches and a third in Montana over the frigid Presidents Day weekend show how backcountry skiers and others in the Rocky Mountain wilderness risk triggering weak layers of snow that have created the most hazardous conditions in a decade, forecasters say.
At least 25 people have been killed in avalanches in the United States so far this year — more than the 23 who died last winter. Typically, 27 people die in avalanches in the U.S. annually.
Avalanche forecasters say they have rarely seen the danger as high as it is now — and it will grow as more snow moves into the Rockies, adding weight and stress on a weak, granular base of snow that’s susceptible to breaking apart and triggering especially wide slides on steep slopes.
The main culprit is the ground layer of snow that dropped in October, which is anywhere from several inches to several feet thick, and despite more snow falling, has stayed the consistency of granular sugar, said Dave Zinn, an avalanche forecaster for the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center in southwestern Montana. Then, a dry November weakened it.
“That layer consists of large, sugary crystals that don’t bond together well. … And when it becomes weighted down, it becomes fragile and breaks,” bringing down the heavier layers on top of it, Zinn said.
“It’s the weakest link in the chain. When you pile on more snow, there’s always one spot that’s going to break,” said Ethan Greene, director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
On Sunday, backcountry skier Craig Kitto, 45, of Bozeman, Montana, was killed when the forest slope he and a companion were climbing cracked without warning, collapsed and swept him downhill into a tree. The other person was not hurt.
Similar conditions may have led to the death of 57-year-old David Heide, a backcountry skier whose body was found in an avalanche debris field Sunday in central Colorado’s Clear Creek County. In neighboring Grand County, an avalanche carried a snowmobiler onto a frozen lake Sunday and his body was found buried in snow. A coroner is investigating.
On Feb. 6, Utah saw its deadliest avalanche in about 30 years when four backcountry skiers in their 20s died and another four dug themselves out of a 1,000-foot slide east of Salt Lake City.
Forecasters emphasize standard precautions before heading into the backcountry:
■ Have rescue gear: A beacon, a probe to check snow conditions and a shovel. Know how to use them.
■ Check daily forecasts.
Keep an eye out for recent avalanche activity.
■ Take a guided tour.
■ Don’t go it alone if possible. Make sure only one person in your party is in exposed terrain at any given time.