On a bustling Friday night at the Kenosha Steakhouse in Breckenridge, bartender Joe Vandal often finds himself dreaming of dropping into deep powder in the Sky Chutes on the west face of the Tenmile Range.
The chutes, located high above Colorado 91 east of Copper Mountain, are a favorite destination among hard-core Summit County backcountry enthusiasts. But the chutes, so named because they appear to spell out S-K-Y from a distance, can also be extremely avalanche-prone, which is how Vandal came up with an ingenious idea to help allay the Colorado Avalanche Information Center’s $25,000 budget shortfall while serving drinks.
When Vandal heard the CAIC might have to scale back its statewide backcountry avalanche forecasting this winter because of a lack of funding, Vandal asked the restaurant’s managers if they’d contribute to a fundraiser he and friend Aaron Carlson were organizing. They agreed, and six weeks later, what had started out as an idea on the back of a cocktail napkin turned into a windfall for winter backcountry users throughout Colorado.
The Nov. 8 fundraiser, held at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge, attracted more than 600 people and raised $26,000 for the CAIC from $10 ticket sales, a silent auction of donated gear and private donations. Combined with a separate $15,000 donation from Vail Resorts given to the Friends of the CAIC, the agency said it will be able to maintain its full range of backcountry forecasting services this season.
“It would have been devastating not to have those avalanche forecasts available for skiers and snowboarders,” says Vandal, 26, a telemark skier who estimates he skied 40 to 50 days in the backcountry last season. “I check the reports twice a day to check the weather and to see what the conditions are like. We just wanted to see how we could help, and the more we told people about it, the bigger it got.”
The CAIC is housed in a division of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. It is charged with supplying avalanche forecasts and information to the Colorado Department of Transportation. It has a budget of $720,000, the funding for which is primarily generated via taxes on the oil and gas industries, grants and private donations.
The organization’s 15 forecasters and part-time field personnel in Breckenridge, Aspen and Telluride also conduct extensive statewide zone forecasts for skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers.
There have been 226 avalanche deaths in Colorado since 1950, almost twice the total of any other state. There were five avalanche fatalities in Colorado last snow season, including a snowboarder who had been rescued but later died of injuries suffered in the slide.
But CAIC director Ethan Greene noted that the number of fatalities per 100,000 Colorado residents has dropped considerably in recent years as the state has grown and backcountry traffic has increased, something he believes is a direct result of the extensive services and education the CAIC provides.
“You can correlate it, but getting a firm relationship between the two is difficult,” he says. “We offer a lot of services and gather a lot of information to make a difference in a lot of ways.”
Avalanche forecasting in many other states in the West is conducted by the U.S. Forest Service.
The CAIC got its start in the early 1970s as a U.S. Forest Service research program. It nearly folded when funding dried up, but it was rolled into the Department of Natural Resources and later developed into one of the country’s leading avalanche forecasting and education agencies.
The center is in constant contact with various weather agencies, resorts, guides, ski patrollers and anyone who voluntarily submits a trip report. Last year, it provided avalanche education to 4,900 individuals, and with backcountry skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling on the rise in Colorado, its role has become increasingly important.
“When I heard they were going to have to cut spring forecasts or possibly lay off a forecaster or close a field office, we thought, ‘There’s no reason we can’t do something about it,’ ” said Carlson, 25, who lives in Boulder. “Even if we had only raised $5,000 or $1,000, it all would have been helpful. The center is definitely a tool we can’t afford to lose.”
Backcountry safety basics
Following are basic backcountry safety tips from Golden-based avalanche safety educator Halsted Morris.
EDUCATION
Before you plan any backcountry adventure, take classes in avalanche awareness and backcountry safety. There are dozens of classes offered this winter, including many through the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, the Colorado Mountain Club, various Colorado ski resorts and retail stores such as REI’s flagship store in Denver and Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder. For more about avalanche education, visit the website for The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (avtraining.org).
GEAR
At a minimum, every skier or snowboarder should have an avalanche transceiver, probe pole, rescue shovel, first-aid kit and a mobile phone when in the backcountry.
TEAM UP
Go into the backcountry with experienced people, especially in places you’re not familiar with, Morris said. No matter how advanced you are as a skier, snowboarder or snowmobiler, changing conditions and unknown features can make the backcountry a tricky and ever-changing environment.
PATIENCE
If there are signs that pristine snow might be unstable, don’t give in to “powder lust.” “If you wait a few days and come back when the snow is stable, it will be equally good skiing, but the difference is that you’d be alive,” Morris said.
RESOURCES
Check the CAIC website (avalanche.state.co.us/index.php) for zone forecasts, weather announcements, slide probability and other useful information before heading into the backcountry.
Brian Metzler, Special to The Denver Post
