Debris from an avalanche is visible from The Professor, a popular backcountry skiing area near Arapahoe Basin.
When there's lots of snow and lots of people, Vail visitors often set out for the backcountry. It's a thrill. It's a great escape. But beware. Skiing, riding, snowmobiling and snowshoeing in the backcountry always means avalanche danger on and under steep slopes.
An average of six people die in avalanches in Colorado every winter, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, and hundreds of other slides, both natural and human-triggered, are reported every month.
Vail and Beaver Creek both have access gates to backcountry skiing and riding at various locations within the ski area. The signs leading to such are not joking when they're splattered with crossbones and warnings.
Nobody should enter the backcountry without the proper equipment and knowledge of avalanche dangers.
Avalanches can occur on slopes that are 25 degrees or steeper and usually happen on slopes measuring 35 to 45 degrees. They can also be triggered from below if there is a steep slope above. Snowpack is a huge factor in determining avalanche dangers. Backcountry travelers should always dig a snow pit in an area where they're about to ski, ride or snowshoe to observe the layers of snow. If heavier, denser snow is sitting on top of layers that are weak, loose and sugary, it's a sure sign of danger. Weather is also a factor.
The high winds around the Vail area can load snow onto weak layers and make them ripe to slide. Cornices and pillows are signs of heavy wind loading and slab dangers.
For updated avalanche forecasts and dangers, visit the CAIC website.
Tips for safety in the backcountry:
- Never go alone
- Always bring a beacon and know how to use it, a shovel, slope meter, probe, First Aid kit, map, compass, whistle, headlamp, repair kit, food, water and extra clothes
- Dig a pit and test the area you're going for snowpack stability
- Never ski or ride above another person
- Don't assume an area is safe just because there are tracks there
Video
Tim Cochrane, Director of Vail Mountain Rescue Team, sat down with
Plum's Juliana Broste to discuss the ten year snow-pack cycle, avalanche
danger and incidents we've already seen this season. Tim also provided
tips you can use to protect yourself and others in the backcountry.
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