CAIC

Avalanche Details

Location: North Fork of Fish Creek, near Steamboat Springs
State: Colorado
Date: 2022/03/19
Time: 12:00 AM (Estimated)
Summary Description: 1 skiers caught, partially buried critical, and killed
Primary Activity: Backcountry Tourer
Primary Travel Mode: Ski

Number

Caught: 1
Fully Buried: 0
Injured: 0
Killed: 1

Avalanche

Type: --
Trigger: AS - Skier
Trigger (subcode): u - An unintentional release
Size - Relative to Path: R2
Size - Destructive Force: D2
Sliding Surface: O - Within Old Snow

Site

Slope Aspect: NW
Site Elevation: 9900 ft
Slope Angle: 38 °
Slope Characteristic: Sparse Trees

Accident Summary

Preliminary Report: Two backcountry skiers were involved in an avalanche on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at approximately 12:20 PM. The accident occurred in the North Fork of Fish Creek drainage, northeast of Steamboat Springs. Skier 1 was caught in the avalanche and came to rest against a tree. He was not breathing when his companion reached him. Skier 2 performed CPR for close to an hour as the Routt County Sheriff's Office, Routt County Search and Rescue, and Classic Air responded to the scene. CPR was not successful. Classic Air evacuated Skier 2 via helicopter, and efforts to retrieve Skier 1 are underway.

Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the people involved in this tragic accident.

CAIC staff will visit the accident site on Sunday, March 20, and we'll publish a final report in the next week.

Media

Images

<b>Figure 1:</b> A map of the Steamboat Springs area and Park Range. The accident site is marked by the red square. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/0k2gzhkr4g6nh6jhhyqm5p2lequ4?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=98b3af5623fc6897453e3050b8f49528','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 2:</b> A map of the Fish Creek area, northeast of Steamboat Springs. The accident site is marked by the red square. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/4kpxwtozjhanj2o4gflxgiami8gu?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=19e48dc9ee8762a51996c5cc48b3cd62','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 3:</b> Overview of the slope of a fatal avalanche in the Fish Creek Drainage outside of Steamboat Springs. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/mr7q27pkt9i6l5loq36wzdkq6sxa?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=76e843e553ec9fa7e0362e0079414172','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)

<b>Figure 4:</b> Looking across North Fish Creek at the slope where a skier was killed in an avalanche on March 19, 2022. (<a href=javascript:void(0); onClick=win=window.open('https://caic-production.imgix.net/22v4abzc8oft2c5gs1fw5jnv9aww?ixlib=php-3.1.0&s=944652a3d099591e3f49f09e509d2a65','caic_media','resizable=1,height=820,width=840,scrollbars=yes');win.focus();return false;>see full sized image</a>)