CAIC

Avalanche Details

Location: Bald Mountain, southeast of Breckenridge
State: Colorado
Date: 2023/04/29
Time: 12:00 AM
Summary Description: 1 backcountry skier caught, buried, and killed
Primary Activity: Backcountry Tourer
Primary Travel Mode: Ski

Number

Caught: 0
Fully Buried: 1
Injured: 0
Killed: 1

Avalanche

Type: --
Trigger: --
Trigger (subcode): --
Size - Relative to Path: R1
Size - Destructive Force: D2
Sliding Surface: --

Site

Slope Aspect: E
Site Elevation: 13200 ft
Slope Angle: 40 °
Slope Characteristic: --

Accident Summary

PRELIMINARY REPORT: A solo skier was caught, buried, and killed in a small but long-running avalanche. The avalanche started at about 13,200 feet on an east-facing slope. It ran approximately 1,300 feet. The avalanche began in dry, wind-drifted snow and entrained wet snow in the track of the avalanche path. Summit County Sheriff's deputies, Summit Rescue Group, and Flight for Life all responded and performed a search and recovery in the late evening hours of April 29 and early morning hours of April 30.

CAIC staff will visit the site on April 30 and publish more details as they become available. We will issue a full report next week.

Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.

Media

Images

<b>Figure 1:</b> Site of a fatal avalanche accident on April 29, 2023. The avalanche started in a shallow crown, visible in the upper right corner of the image. It entrained wet snow in the track of the avalanche path. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/9unjhgev9vqsc4ni944pj8cf7c8j?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=ace3b9ba1d789482642d4f78f5daa39c','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 2:</b> Looking down the track of an avalanche that killed a skier on April 29, 2023. The burial location is out of view behind the rock feature on the left side of the image. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/c5e7wr0tlup4v6jbpaq08909hk01?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=59340ce15c91b521c7648e14c129edc8','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)