Snowshoers 1 and 2 started at Red Mountain Pass and followed CR31 northwards towards Guston. They planned to stay on the road. They were familiar with the area and had traveled the road many times in the winter. They were not carrying avalanche rescue equipment and did not read the current avalanche forecast, but were generally aware of the dangerous avalanche conditions.

The road cuts across a short, steep slope in Champion Gulch. They “had never seen the slope avalanche in 30 years” but still chose to cross one at a time because of the dangerous avalanche conditions. Just before 1PM, Snowshoer 1 broke trail about 150 feet along the road and waited on the other side of the slope.

Snowshoer 2 was partway across when he triggered the avalanche. He had time to tell Snowshoer 1 to “run” before the avalanche swept him backward off the road and into the gully below. He tried to keep his ski pole up during the avalanche. When the avalanche stopped, he was on his back, head downhill. His head was under the snow, but he could wave his pole and knew it was above the debris (partially buried - critical).

After the avalanche, Snowshoer 1 carefully navigated around adjacent steep slopes and into the gully. She could see the pole waving around. She unburied Snowshoer 2’s head using her snowshoe as a shovel. It was approximately 15 minutes between the avalanche and uncovering his face. Snowshoer 2 did not lose consciousness. At 1:34PM, Snowshoer 1 was able to call 911 using emergency satellite communications on her phone. She continued to dig with her snowshoe while shouting for help. Two other backcountry recreators heard her shouting and reached the avalanche around 2:20PM. They had shovels and proceeded to dig out Snowshoer 2. All four walked about a half mile on CR31 before they met with Ouray County Search and Rescue at 3:05PM. Snowshoer 1 sustained minor hand injuries while digging. Snowshoer 2 sustained minor scrapes and mild cold injuries.

We do our best to describe avalanche involvements to help the people involved and the community as a whole better understand them. We offer the following comments with the hope that they will help people avoid future avalanche accidents.

Snowshoers 1 and 2 generally knew of the dangerous avalanche conditions and planned to stick to the road and avoid avalanche terrain. They recognized and only exposed one party member at a time to the hazardous slope. Snowshoer 1 carefully avoided other steep slopes on her way into the gully to avoid additional avalanches.

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. A shovel would have sped up the excavation time, but Snowshoer 1 was able to use her snowshoe to dig.

Snowshoer 1 was carrying a device capable of emergency satellite communications. Although it took a few minutes to connect, she was able to alert 911. She did this after exposing Snowshoer 2’s face and determining they would need assistance. She continued to shout, knowing other people were likely recreating in the nearby backcountry. Two backcountry skiers heard her. They were carrying avalanche rescue equipment and quickly finished digging Snowshoer 2 free.

The avalanche was small (D1.5) and ran about 100 vertical feet. The debris piled in the gully formed by a steep slope and mine tailings, deep enough to bury a person. Terrain traps like narrow gullies increase the consequences of even small avalanches. Snow cracked but did not avalanche on the steep mine tailings opposite the road cut.

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.