Avalanche — Flattop Mountains, Colorado

2002-03-17 · Flattop Mountains, Colorado

Wider weather episode

Snowmobilers triggered a medium-sized soft-slab avalanche on Pagoda Peak, 36 miles southwest of Steamboat Springs in northeast Rio Blanco County. The slide buried and killed one man under 3 feet of snow while still on his snowmobile and partly buried another person. The slide was 300 to 400 feet wide and traveled 400 vertical feet.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5284924. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.