Wednesday afternoon, February 19, a pair of skiers exited Telluride Ski Resort to ski into Bear Creek, backcountry terrain outside the resort. They were the second party to descend a northeast-facing slope locally known as Nellie. Skier 1 descended the first portion of the slope and stopped. Skier 2 radioed that an avalanche had released, but Skier 1 could not escape. The 200-foot-wide avalanche caught and carried Skier 1 around 1100 vertical feet over cliffs and down a gully. They came to rest in the debris field, partially buried with their head and one arm above the snow. Skier 2 descended the bed surface and dug Skier 1 out. Skier 1 was not seriously injured but lost one ski. Another party helped the pair down Bear Creek and back to Telluride.