Avalanche — West Elk and Sawatch Mountains, Colorado

2022-02-25 · West Elk and Sawatch Mountains, Colorado

Event narrative

A group of backcountry snowshoers accidentally triggered an avalanche while hiking to a private backcountry home in the Yule Creek area of West-Central Colorado. Three of the hikers and two dogs were caught in the avalanche with one hiker and the two dogs buried. Two others were partially buried. Rescue efforts were unsuccessful with one hiker killed, along with the two dogs. The partially buried hikers survived with minor injuries.

Wider weather episode

A series of winter storms brought heavy, wind swept snow, to the mountains of West-Central Colorado from mid to late February. This snow fell on an older layer of snow that was deposited in late December 2021, which had become more faceted and weak.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1007736. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.