Red Mountain Pass, Colorado – On Sunday, January 21, 2018 a backcountry skier was caught and killed in an avalanche while skiing in an area known as Sam’s Trees between Red Mountain Pass and the town of Silverton in the northern San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado.
According to San Miguel County Search and Rescue, “The Northern San Juan’s have seen up to 20″ of new snow in a 24 hour period.” The avalanche danger rating was 3/5 or Considerable.
Avalanche.State.co.us reports that the avalanche was a skier triggered soft slab avalanche size D2 that slid within the old snow. The slide occurred on a NE aspect at 11,200′ in a gully/couloir that is know as Sam’s Trees. The CAIC will post a detailed report soon.
This is the 1st avalanche fatality in Colorado during the 2017/2018 winter season.
We will try to update this post when more information is available.
UPDATE 1/23:
- Westword identified the victim as 27-year-old Abel Palmer.
- The CAIC Avalanche Report states that the avalanche occurred at 11200 feet on a northeast aspect with a slope angle of 38 degrees. They categorized the avalanche as a SS- ASu -R3-D2-O. Photos are available on that site.
UPDATE 1/29:
- The full accident report from the CAIC can be found online.
See Also: Global Avalanche Accidents 2017/2018
