Unusual weather patterns and a thin, developing snowpack have combined to trigger a rash of early-season avalanches across the Mountain West, catching backcountry skiers off guard and sweeping several individuals into hazardous, rocky terrain. Safety officials are issuing urgent warnings to the outdoor community, emphasizing that the slopes holding the deepest and most appealing snow often harbor the most severe and hidden dangers during the nascent weeks of winter.<\/p>\n
The volatile nature of the current season was underscored on November 3 near Silverton, Colorado, when an avalanche broke loose and swept a skier an estimated 500 feet down a steep mountainside. The slide partially buried the skier before his touring partner was able to swiftly dig him out. Remarkably, the skier emerged unharmed from the harrowing ordeal. The incident gained widespread attention because professional skier and filmmaker Colter Hinchliffe happened to capture the entire sequence on video, bringing the raw and immediate dangers of early-season backcountry travel into sharp focus.<\/p>\n
This close call is far from an isolated event. It is part of a growing wave of early-season avalanche incidents recorded across the Mountain West as winter weather clashes with lingering autumn conditions. On October 25, another skier triggered a wind-slab avalanche on Colorado\u2019s Mount Bross. That slide buried the victim facedown, requiring prompt assistance from companions to clear the snow and prevent tragedy. A few days later, on November 1, skiers near Alta, Utah, inadvertently triggered multiple wet-snow slides. According to field observations submitted to the Utah Avalanche Center, those slides swept over a cliff band and deposited debris directly onto a service road, demonstrating that even lower-elevation or infrastructure-adjacent zones can experience significant instability.<\/p>\n
Data from safety organizations highlights the active nature of the current landscape. As of November 6, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) has recorded nearly 100 avalanches statewide since the snow began falling. Among those recorded slides, 15 were explicitly triggered by human activity, primarily skiers testing the nascent snowpack. <\/p>\n
Brian Lazar, deputy director of the CAIC, noted that while the sheer number of slides is not entirely unprecedented for this time of year, the public perception of risk often lags behind reality. <\/p>\n
"That amount of avalanches at this time of year is not that unusual," Lazar said. "We\u2019re in avalanche season, even though the snowpack is still developing, and it\u2019s important to acknowledge that, even when there\u2019s a lot of dry ground showing."<\/p>\n
The temptation to chase the first flakes of the season has driven large numbers of outdoor enthusiasts into the high country, creating a crowded and potentially volatile backcountry environment. Colter Hinchliffe noted that heavy early snowfall in localized pockets, particularly in areas like the San Juan Mountains, has made the region an irresistible destination for skiers eager to transition from summer pursuits to winter sliding. <\/p>\n
However, this high volume of eager recreationists compounds the risk. "A lot of people in the mountains means a lot of decisions are being made, and some of them can go wrong," Hinchliffe observed. "That\u2019s kind of what we saw."<\/p>\n
The meteorological history leading up to these incidents has done little to stabilize the snowpack. Lazar explained that unusually warm and wet weather patterns have significantly impacted southwestern Colorado and surrounding ranges. Two recent warm storms delivered substantial moisture, bringing rain instead of snow to elevations exceeding 12,000 feet. This rain saturated the developing snowpack, triggering wet-snow avalanches as the water compromised the structural integrity of the layers. <\/p>\n
Compounding the problem, the periods between these warm, wet storms featured dry, clear weather. These dry spells allowed weak, fragile layers of snow and faceted crystals to form on the surface of the snowpack. When subsequent storms arrived, they deposited fresh, heavier snow on top of these weak foundations, creating classic, highly unstable slab conditions.<\/p>\n
The dangers inherent in early-season backcountry travel extend far beyond massive, deep-slab avalanches that make headline news. Lazar warned that even relatively small slides, which might lack the volume to cause a deep burial, can be devastatingly destructive due to the nature of the terrain. <\/p>\n
"Even if you get knocked off your feet and take a short ride in a small avalanche, it might not be big enough to bury or kill you, but it can drag you across rocks, logs, stumps, and things like that," Lazar explained. "Early-season conditions can produce some really nasty rides, even in small avalanches."<\/p>\n
Furthermore, a shallow snowpack fundamentally alters how skiers navigate the mountains, often steering them directly into harm’s way. Because much of the landscape remains uncovered, rocks, boulders, and fallen timber create impassable obstacles across most of the mountain. This forces skiers to funnel into specific gullies, bowls, and wind-loaded pockets where the snow has drifted deep enough to provide a viable surface. <\/p>\n
"If you\u2019re going out looking to ride on snow, you are naturally drawn to the places with the best coverage, and those are the same places that often have the most dangerous avalanche conditions," Lazar noted. <\/p>\n
To mitigate these risks, avalanche safety experts consistently advocate for foundational preparedness protocols before anyone steps foot into the backcountry. Lazar recommends that recreationists routinely check local avalanche forecasts, ensure they are carrying essential rescue gear including a transceiver, shovel, and probe, and travel exclusively with knowledgeable partners who are well-versed in companion rescue techniques. Continuing education and regular practice sessions are also vital components of managing backcountry risk.<\/p>\n
For experienced skiers like Hinchliffe, navigating the early season requires a deliberate shift in mindset and terrain selection. Reflecting on the morning of the Silverton incident, Hinchliffe mentioned that he and his touring partner had explicitly agreed to adopt a conservative approach. Rather than pushing into steep, high-consequence lines that might test the limits of the fragile snowpack, they chose to stick to mellower, lower-angle terrain. <\/p>\n
"At this point, I\u2019ve got the whole season laid out in front of me," Hinchliffe said. "So when I ski in the early season, I try to be very cautious with my choices."<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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