DENVER (KDVR) — A popular Colorado ski resort issued a stern warning on Saturday after a skier triggered an avalanche in the Christmas Tree Bowl.
Steamboat Resort said that on Dec. 28, a skier self-reported a slide in the resort’s Christmas Tree Bowl. The terrain has not been opened for the 2024-2025 season, and the resort said it is not ready for skiing and riding.
Because of the avalanche, a “significant” amount of ski patrol resources were needed on scene to ensure no other skiers or riders were possibly caught in the slide. That means fewer ski patrol members were available for other incidents on the mountain.
The resort also noted that tracks leading to the closed area can be misleading to skiers and riders who are unfamiliar with the terrain, and think it’s OK to ski on the trails they find, even ones that are not open.
“Closed trails are closed for a reason,” the resort said on Facebook. “When skiers and riders duck ropes they not only put themselves at risk but they put other skiers and riders, and patrol at risk. They also delay Patrol from doing the important work necessary to get terrain open for skiing and riding.”
It’s unclear if Steamboat Resort will penalize the skier, or if the resort has identified the skier responsible. The resort said in a video posted to its social accounts that accessing closed trails can lead to the visitor losing their ski privileges at the resort.
In a blog post on its website, Steamboat Resort discussed how terrain is prepared by ski patrol for public riding and skiing. According to the resort blog, patrol crews will work their way down from the top of a trail by throwing hand charges below them, moving larger sections of snow that could be triggered into an avalanche.
“Once we feel the snow is more stable, we will move to ski cutting and pocket avalanches in the trees,” the blog post stated.
The Christmas Tree Bowl is located on the backside of Mount Werner and, when open, is accessible by the Morningside Liftline, among others.
Currently, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center is citing the avalanche danger in the Park Range and Elkhead Mountains as high on Monday, from above the treeline to below. The danger is forecasted to lower to “considerable” on Tuesday. However, the area is under an avalanche warning through Monday at 5 p.m.
