A party of two backcountry tourers (one skier and one snowboarder) were traveling in the Middle Fork of Mineral Creek drainage, west of the town of Silverton. They were caught in an avalanche on a terrain feature locally known as The Nose. One escaped the avalanche while the other was carried in the debris. Staff from a nearby backcountry hut noticed the avalanche, alerted search and rescue, and traveled to the site to see if anyone needed help. They joined the backcountry skier who escaped the avalanche and the group of three located the buried snowboarder and dug them out of the debris. Members of the San Juan County Sheriff's Office, Silverton Medical Rescue, San Juan County Search and Rescue, La Plata Search and Rescue, Silverton Avalanche School, CAIC, along with personnel and a helicopter from Silverton Mountain joined the rescue effort, but the backcountry rider did not survive.

Our deepest condolences go out to the family, friends, and community of the people involved in this tragic accident. CAIC staff will visit the site on Friday. We'll update this report as more information becomes available and publish a final report in a week.