Two men – a father and an adult son – were skiing in a cross-country skiing area in Colorado when they were swept away by an avalanche. An old man managed to dig himself out of the snow. He tried unsuccessfully to find his son.
The avalanche took the men around 1:00 pm on Sunday, January 1, when they were skiing in a cross-country skiing area at an altitude of about 3,500 meters above sea level. The route passed near the Breckenridge ski resort, about 130 kilometers from Denver, the capital of Colorado. The volunteer mountain rescue team Summit County Rescue Group (SCRG) said the elderly man was able to dig himself out of the snow and dial 911. He searched unsuccessfully for his son. Only after 3.00 p.m. the man’s body was found by a rescue dog.
Dozens of people took part in the rescue operation
Twenty-three members of the rescue team and three members of the special unit of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office responded to his father’s call for help. The Breckenridge Ski Resort ski patrol also helped in the search. Two hours after the avalanche, at 15.11, the command of the SCRG reported that the skier was found dead. “Deepest condolences to all affected by this tragedy,” the mountain rescue team wrote in a Facebook post.
The body of the deceased was transported to the Breckenridge Mountain Clinic and the SCSO Special Operations team conducted an on-scene investigation. On the same day, representatives of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, an organization that collects information on the state of the snow cover, were to appear at the site of the tragedy. Its activities are aimed at reducing the number of victims of avalanches and the damage caused by them in the state of Colorado. The Summit County Coroner’s Office will provide further information on the case, the statement said.
Avalanche casualties in the US
As noted by CNN, three people have died in avalanches in the US this winter season: two in Colorado and one in Montana, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. According to the statistics publishing website Statista, an average of 24 people died in avalanches each year in the last 10 winters in the United States.
Summit County Rescue Group, Statista
Main photo source: Summit County Rescue Group