According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, a ‘sidecountry’ skier was killed while reportedly skiing with his father in Colorado on December 31, following an avalanche that took place on Peak 10 in Summit County. This is the same Peak 10 that is included in Breckenridge Resort, though the deadly slide took place in ‘sidecountry’ terrain outside of the resort. In other words, the terrain can be accessed from the resort, but is backcountry terrain as it is not maintained or patrolled.

At about 1 PM, two skiers exited Breckenridge Resort through a backcountry access point, which dropped them in an area known as ‘The Numbers.’ Leaving the resort to access this backcountry area is common practice, with The Numbers being a south to southeast-facing area found at 11,600 feet of elevation.

Following an unintentional release triggered by the skiers, the avalanche partially buried one skier and fully buried the other. The partially buried skier was able to free himself from the debris, but could not find the second skier. It is unclear whether or not the first skier was using full avalanche safety gear during this search, as that was not mentioned in the preliminary report that has since been released.

The first skier returned to a place where he could establish cell phone connection and reported the incident to emergency services.

Members of the Summit County Rescue Group, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit, and members of Breckenridge Ski Patrol responded. An avalanche rescue dog located the missing skier at about 3:11 PM. The skier was deceased.

Summit County Rescue Group identified the skiers as a father and his adult son, with the son being the skier that died.

Colorado Avalanche Information Center staff had plans to visit the site of the accident on January 1, hoping to release a final report about the incident over the next week.

The term ‘sidecountry’ typically refers to backcountry terrain that is accessible via a slopesport resort. While this makes backcountry terrain more accessible, it also means that the risk that comes with this style of rugged, unmaintained terrain is more accessible, too. Generally, backcountry terrain is only accessible by those willing to track it down, often requiring a long day of heavy exertion. In the case of ‘sidecountry’ terrain, it’s typically accessible by anyone with a lift ticket.

This is the second avalanche-related death of the current snow season in Colorado, with the other death occurring in the area of Berthoud Pass on December 26. Last season, seven deaths occurred, including two skiers, one snowboarder, three snowshoers, and one climber.

It’s crucial to check the Colorado Avalanche Information Center report prior to embarking on any backcountry adventure. Avalanche conditions are very dangerous right now in Colorado. Find that report here.

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