The Colorado Avalanche Information Center Forecasts Start Tomorrow

It has a redesigned website that makes it easier for people to find and use avalanche safety information this winter.

The CAIC provides backcountry avalanche forecasts for approximately 28,000 square miles of Colorado’s mountains from November 1st to May 1st.

Issued daily by 4:30 p.m. for the following two days, forecasts include:

• Avalanche danger ratings
• Current avalanche problems
• Travel advice
• Mountain weather information

Forecasts are updated as conditions warrant, and the CAIC also provides year-round avalanche conditions updates as needed.

The redesigned website, available at colorado.gov/avalanche, makes it easier to find and compare avalanche conditions across Colorado’s forecast areas.

Users can now drop a pin on the map to view nearby forecast areas within 25 miles.

This is particularly useful for snowmobilers and other backcountry travelers whose routes cross multiple forecast areas.

“Avalanche conditions can vary significantly across Colorado’s mountains,” said the director of CAIC, Ethan Greene.

“We want people to understand the hazards where they’re planning to travel and use that information to choose appropriate terrain.”

The redesigned site offers an improved mobile experience and makes it easier to submit field observations.

A new and improved CAIC mobile app is also coming in November.

Avalanches are possible whenever there is snow on a slope steeper than about 30 degrees.

Three resorts in Colorado, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Wolf Creek have already opened some limited terrain as we have reported in this recent post:

• Ski season gets underway in North America

Colorado Avalanche Information Centre

The CAIC encourages everyone heading into Colorado’s snow-covered mountains to:

• Check the avalanche forecast before every trip
• Carry avalanche rescue gear and know how to use it
• Understand the risks of traveling in avalanche terrain

Each winter, CAIC forecasters and educators travel across Colorado to host free public events focused on avalanche awareness and mountain safety.

Visit CAIC’s new events calendar to find local events, or sign up for Avalanche Aware, a free online course developed by the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education in partnership with CAIC and the Northwest Avalanche Center.

These educational programs are made possible in part by the support of Friends of CAIC.

Visit colorado.gov/avalanche for current avalanche conditions, forecasts and educational resources.