Avalanche — Northwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado
January 7, 2025 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center provided all the information regarding this fatal avalanche accident. The incident occurred in the Northwest San Juan Mountains, on the slopes of Red Mountain #3. The snowpack in this location was known to be weak, and the avalanche danger on the day of the accident was rated as Moderate, or 2/5 on a scale where 1 is the least danger and 5 is the most danger. The victim of the accident, referred to as Skier 1 from here on, was travelling alone although they had arranged a check in system with their spouse. After completing several clean runs, Skier 1 triggered an avalanche that caught and buried them under approximately 1 meter of snow, which prevented self-excavation under the circumstances. When Skier 1 became overdue for the scheduled check-in w
Other notable avalanche events in Colorado
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.