One man is dead after an avalanche Wednesday morning in Clear Creek County, officials said.
He was one of three people snowshoeing up Grays and Torreys peaks.
According to a Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office news release, a couple met at the Bakerville exit off Interstate 70 around 7 a.m. They met a man in the parking lot who joined them on their ascent to Grays and Torreys.
About 12,000 feet up the trail, the woman was leading the group across a “suspicious area” when she turned around to see the avalanche and one man swept up in it, the release said.
The sheriff’s office said she and the buried man both had beacons, so the woman activated hers.
She and the other man found the buried man in 15 to 20 minutes, the release said. They tried unsuccessfully to revive the buried man with CPR.
The woman called 911 at 10:46 a.m.
The Alpine Rescue Team, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office, Flight for Life Colorado and Clear Creek EMS responded.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center considers the Grays and Torreys area to be in the Front Range, an area which the center labels a “moderate” risk for an avalanche Wednesday.
According to the CAIC, although natural avalanche activity is not likely in the area, a human-triggered avalanche is possible.
The center warns that human-triggered avalanches are most likely to occur on “northwest through northeast and east-facing slopes at all elevations” and warns to evaluate snow and terrain carefully.
Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez@ or
