After being closed for more than three days, Berthoud Pass finally opened Wednesday evening, the Colorado Department of Transportation said.
The pass, which is on U.S. 40 and the main route to Winter Park ski area, closed Sunday morning after 10 cars were buried when large sections of snow slid from the steep banks on the winding mountain road, which tops out at 11,307 feet. No one was injured.
In an update Wednesday night, CDOT said the road would likely remain open overnight but a closure is expected Thursday morning.
CDOT said those traveling very early on U.S. 40 “should plan for a short closure for winter maintenance operations.” The closure is expected at 5:30 a.m., and “if no debris reaches the roadway the closure will last approximately 15 minutes.”
The Colorado high country has been getting hit with heavy snow and high winds since Saturday, closing many mountain roads and passes, including along Interstate 70 during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
Another storm is expected to hit the northern mountains Thursday.
A major winter storm pounded the high country all day Sunday, Monday and into Tuesday with heavy snow and high winds. Many highways were snowpacked or had closures because of accidents.
CDOT said it responded to a “bank slide” on U.S. 40 along Berthoud Pass at 11:20 a.m. Sunday and 10 vehicles were caught in the avalanche. Other roads in the high country have seen closures through the weekend, including Interstate 70.
On Saturday, U.S. 50 over Monarch Pass was closed for much of the day, and Monarch ski area did not open. The pass closed again Sunday night for safety concerns and was open by Monday morning.
Several ski areas closed lifts over the weekend because of high winds.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has avalanche warnings in effect for most of the high country and backcountry travel is discouraged for the next few days.
Some mountain areas might see up to another foot of snow by Monday evening.
“You can easily trigger avalanches large enough to bury you, and you can expect many of these avalanches to release naturally,” according to CAIC warnings. “The very dangerous avalanche conditions will continue through the end of the day Monday.”
For those traveling during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, CDOT is encouraging motorists to check ahead and to be prepared for safety closures “sometimes on quick notice.” Avalanche mitigation work is expected on high country highways over the next few days and into this week, officials warned.