A backcountry skier was killed Tuesday after being caught in an avalanche near Red Mountain Pass in southwestern Colorado.
The avalanche happened on a northwest-facing slope at an elevation of around 11,300 feet in an area known locally as Bollywood, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
Ouray County Coroner Glenn Boyd identified the victim as Donald Moden Jr., 57, of Ridgway, according to the Ouray Plaindealer. He was an experienced backcountry climber and skier who was a former member of the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team, the Plaindealer reported.
No other information on the victim was released. CAIC forecasters are expected to visit the site Wednesday to gather more information and investigate the slide. At the time of the slide, avalanche conditions were considered “moderate” (level 2 of 5) in the area, according to the state agency.
The skier’s death is the first reported avalanche fatality of the winter season in Colorado.
On Sunday, two people were snowshoeing north of Red Mountain Pass when one of them triggered an avalanche and was buried but survived, according to the CAIC report.
So far this winter 22 people have been caught in avalanches, six of whom were buried but survived, according to CAIC data.