Authorities Sunday warned of unstable snow across the Rocky Mountains after Western Slope avalanches killed three backcountry skiers in three days.
North of Silverton, crews on Sunday recovered the bodies of two people who went missing Saturday night after setting out for a ski trip. A helicopter spotted their bodies after finding signs of an avalanche in an area known as Battleship, beside fresh ski tracks near Ophir Pass, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
The two were not immediately identified by the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.
The deaths — the second and third of the ski season —come after the first deadly avalanche of the season Friday in the Anthracite mountain range, west of Crested Butte.
An unidentified skier was buried and killed in an avalanche on the northeast end of the range, near an area known locally as Friendly Finish, the CAIC said in a preliminary report.
His body was pulled from the snow by two fellow skiers, who went in search of the victim after finding his unattended snowmobile. The pair used a transceiver to find him under the snow, but were too late to save him.
In the past week, there have been more than 300 avalanches that trapped nine people, including the three who died, according to the CAIC, which said that unstable snow across Colorado has made for the worst year for avalanche danger since 2012.
One hundred and thirty-two avalanches have been reported since Friday alone, 49 of them triggered by people.
“Although the avalanche conditions are not unprecedented, they are worse than many people are used to,” said CAIC Director Ethan Greene. “People are using avalanche-safety strategies that have worked in recent years, but current conditions require additional caution.”
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