Colorado backcountry skier killed in avalanche

The man was reported missing after his girlfriend could not reach him

The body of a 31-year-old backcountry skier was recovered in Colorado after a fatal weekend avalanche near Breckenridge, rescue crews said Sunday.

The Summit County Rescue Group was first notified of a missing person on Saturday afternoon by the skier’s girlfriend, SCRG said in a release.

“She said the skier had left to ski a northeast facing couloir on Bald Mountain (known locally as “Baldy”) that morning and he was not answering calls by the time he was expected to back at his car,” the release said. “She called 911 to report him missing and SCRG’s on-call mission coordinator was notified that evening.

The Colorado avalanche Information Center told AP that an avalanche, believed to have happened Saturday, occurred around 13,000 feet elevation and had a “small but long running” slide.

Flight For Life Colorado conducted an aerial search after the missing person report, spotted the avalanche and reported there were no tracks visible in or out of the avalanche debris, according to the SCRG release -- but dark and windy conditions prevented further aerial help.

“A team of two SCRG members skied into the area of the slide debris to do an avalanche transceiver search and found the subject just after 11:00 pm via transceiver signal,” the SCRG release said. “He was buried approximately 55 cm below the surface of the debris. Two Summit County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) Special Operations Section members conducted an initial accident investigation and a team of five SCRG and SCSO members evacuated the body to the trailhead via a toboggan.”

It said the CAIC – which had been posting throughout Saturday advice on how to avoid avalanches – was investigating onsite on Sunday.

The death marks the 11th avalanche fatality this year in Colorado and the 24th nationwide, and the winter of 2021-2022 had the most avalanche deaths on record, with 37 across the US, according to AP.

In its release, SCRG reiterated the need for caution on the mountains, particularly when backcountry skiing.

“It is important for skiers and riders who are considering heading out into the backcountry to have the proper education, knowledge and equipment,” the release said. “Skiers and riders heading into the backcountry should be experienced and knowledgeable about backcountry travel, as well as prepared with a transceiver, probe and shovel.”

The identity of the victim had not yet been released on Sunday.