At approximately 3:00 pm this afternoon, the Summit
County Rescue Group (SCRG) received a call regarding an avalanche
off Highway 6 below the top of Loveland Pass. The initial call
stated that two men had been caught, one was partially buried, and
there were no injuries. Spencer Logan, an avalanche forecaster with
the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), had been on scene
and helped rescue the partially buried subject.
Later reports, which turned out to be false, indicated that there
might be further subjects buried in the slide, and that report
triggered a full response from SCRG. These reports came from
bystanders who were not aware of Logan's original report.
Approximately 20 volunteer rescuers responded, along with several
ski patrollers and an avalanche dog and handler from Arapahoe
Basin.
Rescuers arrived to find a small avalanche partially covering the
road, near mile marker 224, and ten to twelve bypassers probing
debris. Probe lines were organized to search the slide, starting
from the bottom.
Spencer Logan confirmed by phone that only the two snowboarders
had been involved and there were no further burials. Shortly after
that, the probe line finished and the rescue operation was called
off at approximately 4:00 pm.
Logan later provided some further details. He stated that the two
men were in their early 20's and were not carrying any avalanche
gear. One was buried in a sitting position, with his snowboard
approximately three feet below the surface; the other was unburied.
Neither were injured. A passing car stopped to help and was
attempting to dig out the subject with an ice scraper when Logan
went by, on his way back from a field day. Logan was the second
bypasser to pull over and assist, and he was able to unbury the
subject with a shovel.
You can view the CAIC report
here.
The Summit County Rescue Group would like to thank the many
concerned bypassers who stopped to help, as well as the Arapahoe
Basin ski patrol.
We would also like to remind recreationalists in the backcountry
always to carry an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel, and know how
to use them.
Photo credit: Spencer Logan, CAIC
Media contact: Anna DeBattiste, PIO, Summit County Rescue
Group, 303-817-5663