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35 US Avalanche Fatalities 2013-2014 SEASON

Information provided by Colorado Avalanche Information Center

ActivityKilled
Skier †10
Snowboarder †1
Snowmobiler11
Snowshoer/Climber/Hiker11
Other2
Total35
 † Inbounds skier/boarder1

Accidents Reports

Date StateLocationDescriptionKilled
05/28 †WALiberty Ridge, Mount Rainier6 climbers caught, buried and killed6
05/14WANorth face of Mount Shuksan1 backcountry tourer (on ascent) caught and killed1
05/03MTOlson Gulch, west of Anaconda1 backcountry skier caught, died on scene1
04/28 †ORCrater Lake National Park1 snowshoer caught in cornice fall1
03/30ORPaulina Peak, south of Bend1 snowmobiler caught, buried, and killed1
03/22WAGranite Mountain1 backcountry tourer caught, buried, and killed1
03/15AKKicking Horse Valley, west of Haines1 heliski guide caught, buried, and died from injuries1
03/11 †MTCooke City, Montana1 snowmobiler caught, buried, and killed1
03/10MTAltoona, about 10 miles northeast of Philipsburg, Montana1 skier caught and killed1
03/07 †UTGold Hill, Uinta Mountains1 snowmobiler caught, buried, and killed1
03/05COSharkstooth Peak, La Plata Mountains1 snowmobiler fully buried, missing and presumed dead1
03/04CODiablo Ridge, Pt. 12,505, approx. 1 mile W of Conejos Peak1 skier caught, buried, and killed1
02/28 †MTMount Jumbo, Missoula1 snowplayer and 2 residents caught and buried, 1 resident killed1
02/22 †MTTroy, West Cabinet Mountain Range2 snowmobilers caught, 1 partly buried and 1 buried and killed1
02/18WYNear Togwotee Pass1 snowmobiler caught, buried, and killed1
02/16IDFrenchman Creek, northwest of Galena Summit4 snowmobilers caught and buried, 1 killed1
02/15 †COStar Mountain, near Twin Lakes5 skiers caught, 3 injured, 2 killed2
02/11ORSW face of Cornucopia Peak, Wallowa Mountains5 backcountry skiers caught, 1 uninjured, 2 injured, 2 killed2
02/10CONear Kebler Pass, west of Crested Butte2 snowmobilers caught, 1 partially buried, 1 buried and killed1
02/10CONorth Fork Swan River, south of Keystone Ski Area2 sidecountry riders caught, 1 partially buried, 1 buried and killed1
02/09UTLeft Fork Huntington Creek1 snowmobiler caught, buried, and killed1
02/08UTNear Tibble Fork Reservoir1 snowshoer caught, buried, and lkilled1
01/18WALewis Peak, Cascades north of Stevens Pass1 climber killed in cornice fall avalanche1
01/07COEast Vail, backcountry southeast of Vail Ski Area4 sidecountry riders caught, 1 injured, 1 killed1
01/01MTOnion Basin, northern Gallatin Range2 snowmobilers caught, 1 buried and killed1
12/31COParkview Mountain, west of Willow Creek PassOne backcountry traveler buried and killed1
12/26WYPucker Face, near Jackson Hole Mountain ResortOne skier caught, buried, and killed.1
12/26 †IDNeely’s, Palisades PeakOne snowmobiler, caught, buried and killed1

 † Estimated

Statistics and Reporting

The CAIC staff investigate fatal avalanches in Colorado. CAIC forecasters post preliminary information within 24 hours. Once they visit the site and speak to the people involved, they publish a final Accident Report. Final Reports may take a week or more to compile, check, and publish.

The CAIC also collects information on close calls. If you trigger an avalanche, please submit an observation, email, or call the CAIC.

The CAIC is the central archive for avalanche accidents in the United States and maintains detailed records going back to 1950, and sparse records back to the 1860s. The CAIC online database contains avalanche accident reports in the United States since 2006. You can find reports from 1998-99 to the present atAvalanche.org. The CAIC uses the archived data to produce annual statistical graphs, available below, and aid researchers.

Avalanche Accident Statistics

Over the last 10 winters an average of 28 people died in avalanches every year in the United States. Almost every fatal accident is investigated and reported, so the CAIC can present fatality data with some certainty. There is no way to determine the number of people caught or buried in avalanches each year, because most non-fatal avalanche incidents are not reported.

The data used to construct the following graphs is from the CAIC Accident Database. The Database began with the Westwide Data Network in the 1970s. Through the efforts of Dale Atkins, Knox Williams, Betsy Armstrong and others, the Database contains records for over 970 fatalities.

Statistical Graphs

These graphs can be used for avalanche education and awareness purposes (click to view larger, right-click to download). Please cite the CAIC.

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Information provided by Colorado Avalanche Information Center

Image: Shutterstock

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