DENVER (KDVR) — A person snowshoeing in the San Juan Mountains survived with only minor injuries after being partially buried by an avalanche on Sunday.
According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, two people went snowshoeing north of Red Mountain Pass and followed County Road 31 towards the small town of Guston in Ouray County. The duo said they planned on staying on the road where they were familiar with the area and had traveled during the winter before.
The information center said the road the two were on cuts across a short, steep slope in Champion Gulch. The duo noted to the information center that they “had never seen the slope avalanche in 30 years.” However, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the two still chose to cross one at a time due to the avalanche conditions.
The first person, a woman, snowshoed and broke trail, and waited on the other side of the slope for the second person, a man.
The information center said the man made it partway across the trail when he triggered an avalanche. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the man had enough time to tell his partner to “run” before the avalanche swept him backward.
The information center said the avalanche was small and only ran 100 vertical feet, but the debris piled up deep enough in the gully to bury the man.
Once the avalanche stopped, the man was on his back, head facing downhill and under the snow. Fortunately, the man was able to keep his ski pole up during the avalanche and could wave it to indicate to his partner his location, according to the information center.
“Neither party member was carrying avalanche rescue equipment. Snowshoer 2 was determined to keep his hand and pole up as an indicator, something he credited to his waterskiing experience. It would have been a slower search without the obvious clue of a ski pole waving around and no other rescue equipment. His arm may have contributed to air circulation and prevented loss of consciousness,” said the Colorado Avalanche Information Center on its website.
The woman navigated to the man and helped unbury his head from the snow using her snowshoe. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said it took approximately 15 minutes between the avalanche and when the man’s face was uncovered, but the man never lost consciousness.
The woman called 911 at about 1:30 p.m. using emergency satellite communications on her phone. While waiting, the information center said she shouted for help.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said two backcountry recreators heard the shouting and reached the avalanche area at 2:20 p.m. They had shovels and helped fully dig out the buried man. All four people walked about half a mile and met with the Ouray County Search and Rescue.
Even after being buried, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the man only sustained minor scrapes and mild cold injuries. The woman sustained minor hand injuries from digging.
“This was an experienced couple who had recreated in the winter on Red Mountain Pass for almost 30 years. They went out for a ‘casual day’ when things went very wrong. Their determination, clear thinking during a stressful event, and ingenuity helped them walk out with only minor injuries. They were generous enough to share their experience with the CAIC in the hope of helping others avoid similar situations in the future,” said the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
The information center has been warning about the dangers of avalanches this winter. On Tuesday, a backcountry skier was buried and killed in a slide also in the San Juan Mountains — marking the first death for the 2024-25 winter season.
