31-year-old man dies in avalanche on Bald Mountain near Breckenridge

As per preliminary information provided by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center and the Summit County Rescue Group, a 31-year-old individual tragically lost his life in an avalanche on Bald Mountain on Saturday, April 29th.

He said that the first reported incident, which occurred in Colorado, has not yet released the man’s hometown and name.

The rescue team stated that the man’s girlfriend informed them on Saturday afternoon that he was missing. According to the rescue team, the man had left in the morning to ski on a northeast-facing couloir on Bald Mountain, also known as “Baldy,” in southeast Breckenridge. They said he was expected to be back at his car by the time he received calls from his girlfriend but he was not answering.

As per the declaration, Flight For Life Colorado had answered a plea from the rescue team for an airborne exploration, but could not provide further aid beyond spotting the avalanche because of the approaching darkness that evening.

The gentleman’s corpse was retrieved in the wee hours of Sunday morning. As per the statement from the team, he was interred slightly less than 2 feet beneath the top layer of the wreckage. Members of the rescue team skied into the vicinity of the avalanche remnants to conduct a search using avalanche transceivers and discovered the individual shortly past 11 p.M.

The center announced that it would release a comprehensive report this week. The event took place at approximately 13,000 feet, and according to an initial statement from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, the avalanche was described as “small but persistent.”

According to the information center, 20 individuals have been apprehended and 16 have been interred by avalanches this season. This event signifies the 11th fatality caused by avalanches in Colorado during this ski season, which experienced an exceptionally harsh early winter with unprecedented occurrences of both naturally occurring and human-induced avalanches.

According to the information center, Summit County was classified as experiencing moderate avalanche risk — a level 2 on a scale of 5 — as of Sunday afternoon.

The information center stated in their April 30 report that the likelihood of triggering an avalanche in drifted snow is higher as the day becomes warmer. Isolated pockets of accumulated snow can be found at higher elevations on slopes that are oriented towards the northeast, east, and southwest. The areas most prone to triggering an avalanche in drifted snow are the sides of gullies and the regions below steep ridgelines.

Anna DeBattiste, a spokesperson and member of Summit County Rescue Group, stated that this season has seen fewer incidents related to avalanches in other parts of the county. However, service calls are still high.

“I can’t remember the last time I saw such a busy April,” DeBattiste remarked.

In recent weeks, many hikers have been making calls related to postholing, where their knees sink into the snow as they try to move forward.

DeBattiste expressed, “The conditions at higher elevations are becoming increasingly unpredictable due to the consistent warm weather, leading to a rapid melting of snow.” She emphasized, “It is crucial for skiers venturing into backcountry areas to start their activities in the morning, before temperatures increase.”