More Snow Continues to Fall in North America

15th January 2023

The powder snow has been some of the best in a generation bringing excellent early season conditions. It has though come at a price with a number of avalanche deaths. NEW

First the powder snow:

We have been reporting on the conditions so far this winter.

Steamboat, Colorado. Image c/o PlanetSKI reader, Jenny O’Farrell

It has though brought avalanche deaths.

Father searches in vain for son caught in avalanche

Avalanche Image c/o Summit County Sheriff’s Office

In Colorado officials are urging safety and caution in the backcountry amid high avalanche danger.

The warning comes after avalanches in Colorado that have resulted in four deaths.

Dec. 26 Nitro Chute, north of Berthoud Pass – four backcountry tourers caught, two fully buried, one killed
Dec. 31 Number 5, Carter Gulch southwest of Breckenridge – two skiers caught, one partially buried, one buried and killed
Jan. 7 Pumphouse Lake, southwest of Rollins Pass – two snowmobilers caught, both buried and killed

The remains ‘considerable’ avalanche danger and the risk is put at Level 3.

More people die when the risk is Level 3 than any other level.

“There’s a lot of snow and a lot of instability,” said Anna Debattiste, spokeswoman for the Summit County Search and Rescue group.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center reports there have been 870 avalanches in the high country since December 26th.

“We have seen more avalanches this year than we do on a typical year, and recently they’ve gotten much bigger,” said CAIC’s director, Ethan Greene.

A man snowboarding in the Bridal Veil Falls area of Provo Canyon in Utah was swept up in an avalanche and caught the whole thing on camera.

Blake Neilson was okay but wanted to make sure others aware that it can happen, even when conditions appear to be okay.

Further north and across the border, Avalanche Canada report a dangerous snowpack across wide areas.

Red Mountain, Canada. Image © PlanetSKI

The risk of avalanches in the interior of British Columbia is the highest this season than it’s been in more than ten years.

Avalanche Canada advises skiers and snowboarders heading into the into the backcountry to have the correct safety gear:

Transceiver
Probe
Shovel

Avalanche Canada said that “having that gear isn’t enough,” and that having the training to know how to use the gear is paramount.

The avalanche risk around Revelstoke in British Columbia remains “very dangerous,” according to Avalanche Canada’s website.

PlanetSKI’s reporter, Claire McAteer, will be reporting from Canada later this week.

She has just left the Alps for the Rockies.

Claire is visting Revelstoke and Kicking Horse in British Columbia, plus Canmore in Alberta with its resorts of Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Mt Norquay.

Banff, and particularly Sunshine Village, is a favourite of the PlanetSKI editor, James Cove.