Four snowboarders and one skier died on Colorado’s Loveland Pass Saturday afternoon, April 20, 2013, in an massive slide officials believe they likely triggered themselves, according to a story on NBC News.
Search and rescue crews recovered the bodies several hours after the slide, which was about 600 feet wide and eight feet deep, said Clear Creek County Sheriff Don Krueger. . .A sixth snowboarder caught in the avalanche was able to dig himself out and call for help, Krueger said. That person’s condition wasn’t immediately known. . . The victims all had avalanche beacons, Krueger added.
The names of the snowboarders have not yet been released. According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (quoted in a story on ABC News) this is the second deadliest avalanche in the United States since 1950. Our thoughts are with all of their families and friends.
[Update Sunday, April 21, 2013 via Fox News: The Sheriff’s office released the names of the snowboarders and skier this morning and sadly they are snow industry family. They are: Christopher Peters, 32, of Lakewood; Joseph Timlin, 32, of Gypsum; Ryan Novack, 33, of Boulder; Ian Lanphere, 36, of Crested Butte; and Rick Gaukel, 33, of Estes Park. The survivor was Jerome Boulay.
For more details check this Colin Bane story on ESPN and another in the Denver Post.
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