A skier was caught, carried and injured in a Wet Slab avalanche in the K Chute in the Tenmile Range on Saturday, April 12. Two parties intended to ski the same area and came upon the avalanche two hours after it occurred. Their reports are here-
https://avalanche.state.co.us/report/d64cc794-c208-4e7d-8cba-4a60212b0ca5
https://avalanche.state.co.us/report/b9763773-ed68-457e-90c3-91a6c5c8dfe6

A group of four skiers left the Breckenridge ski area at the Peak 6 backcountry access point at around 11:45 AM on Saturday, April 12. They planned to ski the K Chute of the Sky Chutes, a series of steep, westerly-facing avalanche paths that drop down the west side of the Tenmile Range. The group discussed the avalanche forecast, and they all carried avalanche rescue gear. The group had left a vehicle in a parking area below the Sky Chutes earlier that morning.

The group walked down mostly bare ground from the ridgeline to the top of K Chute. The group put skis on and skied down a few turns. They described the snow conditions as crusty. Skier 1 stopped when the terrain steepened and radioed the group to make a plan. Skier 2 went first and made several turns past Skier 1 when he triggered the avalanche. The avalanche broke above Skier 2. Skier 2 was swept down the path. Skier 1 lost sight of Skier 2. He began to descend the path. Skier 1 got his avalanche transceiver out and also communicated with Skier 3 on the radio. He asked Skier 3 to call 911, letting him know he was beginning to search. After a few minutes, Skier 1 could spot Skier 2 in the still-moving avalanche debris. Skier 1 watched Skier 2 move to the left and out of the debris as the avalanche slowed down.

Eventually, Skier 1 made it to Skier 2, approximately 1100 vertical feet from where Skier 2 was caught. Skier 2 was injured but not buried. He had lost both of his skis in the avalanche. Skier 1 assisted Skier 2 in walking down the gully to the skier’s right side onto bare ground. They continued to descend, walking on bare ground. Eventually, they ran out of bare ground and were postholing deeply in soft, wet snow. Travel was very difficult. The two skiers realized that Skier 2 had another set of skis in the parking area near the bottom of the path. Skier 1 left Skier 2, descended to the car, retrieved Skier 2’s other skis, and re-ascended to where he left Skier 2. The two skiers were able to ski down to the car. Skier 2 was taken to the hospital. Skier 1 asked Skier 3 if he had called 911. He had said that he had not.

At around 2 PM, a group of two skiers left the Breckenridge ski area from the same backcountry access point. The two skiers had the same goal as the first group of four skiers. When the two skiers reached the top of the K Chute, they saw the crown of the avalanche. They weren’t sure when it had occurred. A third group of skiers arrived at the top of the path at the same time. The two groups communicated about the avalanche. The third group had a photo of the K Chute from 8:30 that morning with no avalanche. The two groups descended the path with their avalanche transceivers in search mode. They found a set of skis as they descended. The group picked up the skis and brought them with them.

The two groups reached the bottom of the avalanche debris and still did not get a signal. They called 911 to ask if the avalanche had been reported. They were told it was not. Summit County Sheriff's Office and the Summit County Rescue Group (SCRG) were dispatched to the scene. As the rescue group organized, they were alerted by St. Anthony Summit Hospital in Frisco that they were caring for a person caught in an avalanche in the Sky Chutes. SCRG matched the skis found in the K Chute with the description of the Skier 2s skis.