Avalanche forecasting has come a long way since the 1950s, when forecasters relied solely on weather to predict when and where snow might slide. But it still requires scientists skiing and digging into the snowpack. That’s changing as satellites, aircraft-mounted sensors and ground-based remote monitoring fast-track the evolution of snow science, giving experts comprehensive insight […]
Loveland Pass
Posted inColoradans, Environment, News, Outdoors
Avalanche danger remains high in the West, 32 deaths confirmed this season
By Pat Graham, The Associated Press Snowboarder Maurice Kervin glided into the snow along the steep terrain in the Colorado backcountry like he’s done so many times. There was no warning for what happened next as he glanced over his shoulder: a rush of snow swiftly heading his way. Caught in an avalanche last month, […]
Posted inNews, Outdoors
Snowboarder, snowmobiler killed in two separate Colorado avalanches on Sunday
The death toll from avalanches in Colorado climbed to 10 on Sunday. A snowboarder touring solo near Mount Trelease north of Loveland Pass was buried in a very big slide around 9:30 a.m. Sunday and a snowmobiler was caught in a slide west of Rollins Pass later in the day. Alpine Rescue Team rescuers responded […]
Posted inColoradans, Crime and Courts, News, Outdoors
Colorado’s first-ever criminal charges following an avalanche could be slippery slope for backcountry travelers
The two snowboarders talk about snow conditions and route selection as they drop in, one at a time. Gusting wind is blowing snow across the ridge as they wind between reefy rocks. “Avalanche!” yells Tyler DeWitt as he cranks to a stop below his friend Evan Hannibal. The two watch the slide — captured on […]
Posted inEnvironment, Outdoors
A Colorado avalanche instructor’s survey of backcountry skiers’ preparedness had “shocking” results
Imagine you are pushing your raft into whitewater at the start of a remote river trip and you turn to the person next to you and ask them a question about basic river safety, says Vail backcountry ski guide and avalanche safety instructor Kelli Rohrig. “And you find out that person doesn’t know how to […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors
Colorado’s avalanche season claimed 8 lives. Experts say there’s much to learn from how they died.
Renowned avalanche researcher Dale Atkins wanted to see the carnage first-hand. He skied up Stevens Gulch Road below Grays and Torreys after the early March avalanches, crossing massive debris piles laced with splintered trees. As he climbed toward treeline below Kelso Mountain, the white snow turned dusty red. “Like we would see from a dust […]
Posted inEnvironment, News, Outdoors, Transportation
Colorado’s weekend snowstorm prompted avalanches in areas that hadn’t slid in decades. Here’s why.
Dramatic dashboard recordings over the weekend of avalanches along Interstate 70 between Frisco and Copper Mountain have stoked anxiety among Coloradans about the safety of the state’s high country roadways sitting beneath avalanche chutes. But experts say the slides are the result of historic conditions that have been lining up for the entire snow season, […]
Posted inBusiness, Culture, News, Outdoors
What really led A-Basin to quit the Epic Pass cash cow? “Parking is our pinch point.”
The deluge of weekend Epic Pass skiers has forced Arapahoe Basin to abandon its decade-long partnership with Vail Resorts. “We are pretty darn full on weekends and we don’t need any more people on weekends. If anything, we could probably whittle those numbers down a little bit,” Arapahoe Basin’s longtime leader Alan Henceroth said Monday, […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Loveland Pass is a much-safer — and only minutes-slower — option than risking a catastrophe in tunnel
In response to: “Hazmat drivers want off Loveland Pass.” As a 40-year truck driver who retired two years ago, I spent 30 years as a hazmat-tanker driver, hauling cryogenic liquids and chemicals, with 25 of those years hauling gasoline. I ran all Colorado mountain passes in all weather conditions. All of Colorado’s mountain passes are […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government, Transportation
Hazmat tankers want off “sketchy” Loveland Pass and into tunnels. Years of debate could be decided once and for all.
In a snowstorm, it can be an unsettling site: a tractor-trailer pulling a massive tanker filled with hazardous materials up the switchbacks on Loveland Pass. Impatient ski traffic weaves around the vehicle while, on both sides of slick, two-lane U.S. 6, there are steep drop-offs that mostly lack guardrails. That’s not to mention the crowded […]