| A terrible loss
Good evening, Montrose. Just a concerned reminder to proceed with caution if you're heading into the backcountry. Since last Thursday, there have been two avalanche fatalities in Colorado, one of which claimed a highly experienced outdoorswoman, Sarah Steinwand of Crested Butte.
Steinward died Feb. 20, in an avalanche near Silverton. On Saturday, a person snowboarding on The Fingers, near Berthoud Pass, also died in an avalanche. Earlier this year, too, Donald Moden of Ridgway lost his life in an avalanche.
There have been several more incidents in which people were caught in slides, but survived — "a slew of avalanches," is how the Colorado Avalanche Information Center described this weekend's activity.
This evening, avalanche conditions were classed as "mild" in the Northern San Juans, with the most dangerous slopes at upper elevations. "Avoid trigger points such as shallowe, buried rocks or small trees, convexities, and edges of the slopes where the slab is thinnest," the CAIC advises. "Tracks on slopes do not represent stability and you may not observe any obvious signs of instability, such as cracking or collapsing, before triggering a large and dangerous avalanche."
We offer our sincerest condolences to the families of those who have died, and reiterate words of caution for those heading out into the backcountry. You can't always avoid bad luck, but we're really hopeful everyone takes what steps they can.
— Katharhynn, from the Newsroom
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