Gore Range avalanche injures a pair of locals and a dog near East Vail
Slide appears to have occurred in area known as the Birthday Chute on the north side of I-70
CAIC/Courtesy image
A pair of local skiers and a dog were caught in a large avalanche in the Pitkin Creek area of the Gore Range near East Vail on Friday.
Both skiers sustained injuries and were transported out of the area by emergency responders, and the dog was transported to a local veterinarian.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center issued an initial report saying the soft slab avalanche occurred at treeline on a west-facing aspect. The avalanche was rated as a 2.5 on the D scale, which runs from 1 (relatively harmless) to 5 (largest known). A D2 avalanche typically runs up to 100 meters, has a mass of 100 tons and could bury, injure, or kill a person; while a D3 avalanche typically runs up to 1,000 meters, has a mass of up to 1,000 tons and could bury a car, destroy a small building, or break trees.
Based on the photos supplied by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, the avalanche appears to have occurred in the Gore Range area known locally as the Birthday Chute, a steep chute on the north side of I-70 off the Pitkin Creek trail in East Vail.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center used Friday’s avalanche as a warning on its forecast page on Saturday.
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“A recent avalanche incident in the Gore Range highlights the kind of avalanche you can trigger this weekend,” CAIC wrote. “The most dangerous slopes face west through north to southeast near and above treeline. If you choose to travel through avalanche terrain on these aspects of concern you can reduce your chances of being injured or killed in an avalanche by avoiding uneven, rocky slopes, exposing one person at a time, and choosing slopes with no terrain traps such as cliffs or dense trees below you.”
CAIC said safer travel options exist by sticking to sunny slopes with a supportable crust near the snow surface.
“If you are uncertain about the slope and want simpler, safer options you can always stick to slopes less than about 30 degrees steep without similarly steep slopes above you,” CAIC wrote.
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Avalanche danger in the area was rated moderate on Friday and Saturday.
The Pitkin Creek trail is a popular summer hiking trail in East Vail that leads to Pitkin Lake in the Gore Range, but it is also open in the winter to hikers, snowshoers and backcountry touring enthusiasts. The trail is cited by the U.S. Forest Service as being prone to avalanches.
“Fallen trees along the trail are evidence of past avalanches,” the Forest Service writes in its description of the Pitkin Creek Trail.
