Avalanche — Southwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado
February 20, 2025 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) rated the avalanche danger at this location on the day of the incident as Moderate (2/5), with persistent slab avalanches being the main concern. The likelihood of an avalanche was rated as Possible and the expected size was Small to Large (up to D2), large enough to injure, bury, or kill. The period from late November to early February was generally dry, leading to a weak, low cohesion snowpack onto which 3-4 feet of fresh snow fell from February 14th to the 19th. The incident party was made up of 2 experienced backcountry tourers. Rider 2 was very familiar with the terrain in the area, while this was Skier 1's first time in this area. They had toured together multiple times in other locations prior to this trip. Both read the avalanche fo
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.