A 20-year-old snowboarder who was riding with two friends in an area called Steep Gully #1 west of Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin triggered an avalanche that killed him on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 according to a report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
There is a convex knob in the middle of the starting zone for Steep Gully #1. The first rider triggered the avalanche as he rode over the knob. The avalanche broke to the ground along the convexity. The snowpack was very shallow, and rescuers estimated the average crown depth about 12 inches, and around 24 inches at the deepest. The avalanche was the full width of the gully, but left large areas of hangfire. . . The rider was caught and carried for most of the avalanche’s run. He was stopped by trees in the upper portion of the runout, and partially buried. His partners descended the path and used their snowboards to excavate him before organized rescue arrived. The avalanche broke trees approximately 6 inches in diameter.
The avalanche was reportedly 150 feet wide and it slid 800 feet. None of the snowboarders carried avalanche gear according to the report. The name of the snowboarder has not been released but he was reportedly from Spring Grove, Illinois and had been an employee at Breckenridge Resort since November. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
[Link: CAIC and Denver Post via Westword]
thoughts go out to the family. news no parents want to ever hear.
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