Backcountry explorers reported dozens of avalanches in Colorado’s mountain ranges over the weekend after officials warned of increased danger on the state’s slopes.
Roughly four dozen explorers reported seeing avalanches or their aftermath, 19 reported triggering avalanches and two people were caught in waves of snow and debris, according to field reports filed between Friday and Sunday with the .
While several people filed reports for a single avalanche, others documented as many as 32 avalanche sightings in a single report.
“This avalanche cycle was by far the most destructive and widespread of the season,” an observer who confirmed more than two dozen avalanche sightings .
The state agency issued a “” on Friday for increased avalanche danger on most of Colorado’s mountain ranges, which is set to expire at 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
“We are seeing and expect more of the largest avalanches seen so far this season,” state officials wrote in the advisory. “Safe travel in backcountry terrain this weekend will require careful and very selective terrain choices. Any mistakes could be deadly.”
While the advisory will expire Sunday evening, dangerous avalanche conditions “will likely take longer than that to quiet down,” according to the advisory.
As of Sunday afternoon, no avalanche-related injuries or fatalities had been reported, according to the .
The two people caught in the snow on Saturday, a skier and a snowboarder, triggered avalanches “in steep, rocky terrain” near Bonita Peak in the northern San Juan Mountains, according to a filed with the agency.
The snowboarder triggered the initial avalanche, and the skier started a second, smaller wave from the “hang-fire” — the residual, unstable snow remaining after the initial release, the report stated.
