Avalanche — Northwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

2019-03-03 · Northwestern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Event narrative

A backcountry skier was skiing up a mountain near the Matterhorn Nordic Trail system north of Trout Lake, near Lizard Head Pass, after a recent winter storm brought new snow in excess of 2 feet to the area. The new snow fell on top of an unstable snowpack from earlier winter storms. The avalanche was triggered by the skier going off course. It was a soft slab avalanche that broke around 300 feet wide and ran approximately 600 vertical feet. It released on a south-facing slope at around 11,250 feet. After the avalanche, the skier was buried approximately 3 feet deep and he did not survive.

Wider weather episode

A strong winter storm dumped 16 to 30 inches of new snow over the Southwest San Juan Mountains on top of an already unstable snowpack. A backcountry skier triggered an avalanche after diverting from the Matterhorn Nordic Trail north of Trout Lake, near Lizard Head Pass.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 801550. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.