Colorado snowboarder hits tree during avalanche
Colorado snowboarder hits tree during avalanche

A snowboarder who walked away uninjured from an backcountry avalanche in Colorado might have to buy a new board but it could have been far worse.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center reports the avalanche occurred in Tea Cup Bowl on Berthoud Pass on Highway 40 and is the second slide at this location in the month of January. The first avalanche was triggered on January 2nd by a skier who managed to outrun the slide to safety.

On Saturday the snowboarder triggered the avalanche that broke 30 feet uphill of his position. He was caught and carried by the slide and impacted a small tree during his uncontrolled descent. Thankfully his splitboard took the brunt of the impact and it snapped under the pressure.

“Although small (coded as a D1.5 avalanche), this slide had enough force for the snowboarder to snap his splitboard on a small tree.” -CAIC

The snowboarder walked away from the slide unscathed but if he had hit the tree rather than his board, the outcome may have been far different. CAIC warns avalanche danger persists throughout the state and wants backcountry skiers and snowboarders to remain vigilant over the next several weeks.

COLORADO AVALANCHE INFORMATION CENTER STATEMENT:

This slope in Tea Cup Bowl on Berthoud Pass has slid twice in three weeks. On January 2, a skier remotely triggered the avalanche from 20 feet away on a sunny day. Thankfully, the person was able to outrun the slide.

On January 25, a snowboarder triggered an avalanche on this same slope that broke 30 feet above him. He was caught and carried in the slide. Although small (coded as a D1.5 avalanche), this slide had enough force for the snowboarder to snap his splitboard on a small tree. Thankfully, no one was injured. If the individual (instead of the snowboard) had hit the tree, the result may not have been as lucky.

Both the reporting party and another party in the area saw signs of wind loading and wind-drifted slabs. The avalanche broke to the ground in places. This is the kind of Persistent Slab avalanche you can trigger in wind-drifted snow across much of the state. You can find safer travel on lower-angled slopes and those sheltered from the wind.

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