SNOWBLOG

More Colorado Powder — And an Avy Watch

By Bob Berwyn, 2-16-07

	Breckenridge ski patrollers gather in a staging area at the scene of the rescue and recovery effort after a massive slide swept down Peak 7, in the backcountry adjacent to Breckenridge Ski Area, in 1987. Four backcountry skiers died in the avalanche. Photo is courtesy of Dale Atkins.

Wax ‘em up, because Mother Nature is going gangbusters in Colorado this week, with widespread snow leading to accumulations of up to two feet across many mountain areas. Vail is top dog in the snowfall derby so far, reporting 20 inches in the 48-hour period ending Thursday afternoon. Snowmass tallied 16 inches, Winter Park, 15 and Beaver Creek reported 14 inches. A winter storm warning from the National Weather Service is in effect through Friday, and forecasters with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center are predicting another foot of snow in mountains favored by a northwest flow, including the Vail and Summit County resorts along the I-70 corridor.

The persistent snowfall and moderate to high winds have also boosted the avalanche hazard rating into the red zone. A backcountry avalanche watch is in effect for the Front Range mountains as well as the Vail and Summit zone, with widespread natural avalanches possible Friday and into the weekend. With a funky, tender snowpack consisting of brittle slabs sandwiched around layers of faceted grains, triggered releases are likely on all aspects and elevations.

Conditions are similar to February 1987, when a massive slab avalanche ripped down the face of Peak 7 near Breckenridge, killing four out-of-bounds skiers and triggering one the biggest avalanche rescue and recovery effort in the modern era. This Sunday, Feb. 18, marks the 20th anniversary of the deadly slide in the Tenmile Range, and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center will mark the day with a slide show and educational talk on the Peak 7 slide in Breckenridge, 7 p.m. in the Forest Room in the Village at Breckenridge, with proceeds benefiting the avy center.

The Summit Daily News took an in-depth look at the slide and how it changed the way resorts and the Forest Service manage backcountry access at Colorado Resorts. The story includes interviews with Breckenridge ski patrollers who were part of the 1987 rescue mission, as well as photos that show the scale of the slide and the rescue effort. The debris field covered more than 20 acres. While Peak 7 is now a popular part of Breckenridge Ski Area’s in-bounds terrain, it was an easily accessible “side-country” stash back in 1987. In the weeks preceding the fatal accidents, ski patrollers discussed the potential for a serious avalanche in terms of “when,” not “if.”

In the lost and found department, the Steamboat Pilot & Today reported that a group of seven snowmobilers that went missing in Routt County Wednesday were found — all in good shape — Thursday evening. The group included six Colorado Mountain College students and a 16-year-old from Wisconsin.

The Steamboat Pilot also reported on the completed expansion of the resort town’s airport this week. The improved terminal facilities should make it easier for visitors to get in and out of town, an important factor for a resort that relies much more heavily on destination visitors than the drive-by ski areas along Interstate 70, which draw heavily from the Front Range population base.

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