Ahead of the Skiing Season, Famous US Ski Destination Witnesses Its First Avalanche

Winter has finally come. With it, it has brought back the FIS Ski World Cup with top skiers all over the world fighting for the trophy. But, some people like to participate in the sport themselves rather than seeing others do it. These people are seen on skiing courses wearing their equipment and enjoying the sport, they love so much. They are now all set to crowd arenas and skiing resorts to indulge in what they adore. However, a near horror encounter in Colorado acts as somewhat of a cautionary tale for them.

According to POWDER, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center published a report that revealed that an avalanche had taken place in southwestern Colorado near Silverton. This is the first skier-caused avalanche in the area this year. According to the report, two skiers were riding through the ridge of the Silverton Mountain. When one of them attempted a rollover, snow was seen cracking and moving. Another slide was triggered right after that. This made the skiers leave and return safely. 

The Colorado Avalanche Information Centre wrote about the incident, saying, “Over the past ten seasons, Colorado has averaged one to two people caught in avalanches in October. Nearly every fall, avalanches catch eager riders and late-season hikers off-guard.”. The CAIC added, “Hunters traveling through the high country need to exercise caution on steep, snow-covered terrain. Please be thinking about avalanches if you visit steep slopes in the high country, especially in the Southern Mountains.”

This could be interesting news for many tourists, since Colorado is considered one of the ultimate destinations for skiing. Their skiing season had just started this October but will continue until the beginning of May. The altitude of the grounds aids in the creation of a soft type of snow, so visitors are always there. But then again, this news might discourage some of them.

The CAIC has yet to initiate its avalanche forecast program. This will start on November 1st and continue daily until the close of the season. However, they have already started posting warnings to the visitors that there might be avalanches through their website. There is a greater risk in areas where at least one foot or more snow has already occurred. These are early-season avalanches, which are mostly possible on grassy slopes and steep rock slabs.

As such, it is definitely a threat to tourists. This is the reason this issued warning is very important, as there is all set to be an influx of incoming visitors soon. The conditions for skiing near Silverton have been catching the attention of many, and they are already making plans to travel there. But an unfortunate incident should not occur to them. It becomes even worse when the deaths caused by avalanches in the US increased last year.

Deaths caused by avalanches increases, causing risk for skiing

Avalanches now seem to be the biggest threat to a skier’s freedom. This is because it has become a real threat for them to travel to engage in the sport due to these natural disasters. A study from the National Library of Medicine has revealed that deaths caused by avalanches have increased. It was done for a 45-year time period to get the most accurate results. Since then, there have been a total of 342 fatal avalanches, with 440 people losing their lives.

The average age of the victims is 27, and 87.3% of them were men. Climbers, backcountry skiers, and out-of-bounds skiers are most at risk of passing away. Most of these deaths have taken place in Colorado itself, making it a hotspot with 33.2%. Washington and Alaska arrive at 13.2% and 12%. As per Statista, also 30 people died of avalanches last year, compared to the average of 24 seen in the last 10 years. Hence, it is a very real threat and must be seen as such.