Skier caught, killed in avalanche near Silverton in southwestern Colorado
The death of a 41-year-old woman from Crested Butte represents the second backcountry avalanche fatality in Colorado this winter. A skier died last month in a slide north of Silverton.
admin
A 41-year-old woman from Crested Butte was caught and killed in a backcountry avalanche Thursday afternoon in southwestern Colorado, according to the Silverton Medical Rescue and Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
The CAIC said in a preliminary report the person who died was on a snowboard, but Silverton Rescue updated the woman and her partner were skiing in an area known as The Nose west of Silverton when they were caught in the avalanche. While the male skier was able to escape, the woman was carried in the debris, according to Silverton Rescue. Staff at a backcountry hut nearby saw the slide and called search and rescue.
Rescuers joined the skier who survived in searching for the woman. They eventually located and dug out the woman’s body.
Officials have not released the identity of the woman killed in the slide in the Middle Fork of Mineral Creek drainage. Avalanche conditions were considered “moderate” (level 2 of 5), according to the CAIC forecast.
The rescue efforts included 27 people from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, Silverton Medical Rescue, San Juan County Search and Rescue, La Plata Search and Rescue, Silverton Avalanche School, and a helicopter from Silverton Mountain, the CAIC said.
The state agency says it will have investigators on the scene Friday.
In 2021, three backcountry skiers from Eagle were killed in an avalanche on The Nose.
The fatal slide Thursday near Silverton represents the second backcountry avalanche death of the winter season in Colorado.
A 57-year-old skier was killed Jan. 7 in a backcountry avalanche north of Silverton off Red Mountain Pass. This winter, a total of 51 people have been caught in avalanches in the Colorado high country.
Update: This story was updated at 8:05 a.m. Feb. 22, 2025, to correct information from the CAIC on the person who was killed.
