Accident Report
Yellow Mountain, west of Ophir - CO
1 backcountry tourer caught, partially buried not-critical, and injured - 2025/02/25
Backcountry Area: Northern San Juan
Status: Final Report
Published: 2025/02/28
Authors: Chris Dickson - Colorado Avalanche Information Center
Accident Summary
On Tuesday, February 25th, 2025, a skier unintentionally triggered an avalanche on a steep north-facing below treeline slope west of the town of Ophir in an area locally known as Mine Dump. This was a Persistent Slab avalanche that failed on a layer of faceted crystals in the upper snowpack and stepped down to deeper buried weak layers. The avalanche carried the skier into a tree, and he was injured. The skier's partner alerted a friend via radio, who called San Miguel County Search and Rescue (SMCSG). SMCSG evacuated the skier to a waiting ambulance, and he was flown via helicopter to the hospital.
Route Description
Ophir Mine Dump
Avalanche
Caught in an avalanche
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Date | # | Elev | Asp | Type | Trig | SizeR | SizeD | Problem Type | Location |
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02/25/2025
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1 | <TL | N | SS | AS/u | R2 | D1.5 | Persistent Slab |
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Date, Time & Site
Date and Time
02/25/2025 -
12:30pm
(estimated)
Slope Angle
39
Slope Characteristic
Convex Slope
Dimensions
Avg Depth
25 cm
Avg Width
100 ft
Avg Vertical Run
300
Max Vertical Run
400
Slab
Hardness
4 Finger
Grain Type
Decomposing or Fragmented
Weak Layer
Layer Type
Layer
Grain type
Faceted Crystals
Hardness
Fist
Grain size
2
Bed Surface
Sliding Surface
O
Start Zone
Elevation
9900 ft
Avg Slope Angle
38
Max Slope Angle
39
Start Aspect
360
End Aspect
360
Crown Location
Convex Roll
Snow Moisture
Dry
Highway
Terminus
BP
Comments
Incident
Yes
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