(Photo courtesy of Deb Folsom, Ouray Mountain Rescue Team)
(Photo courtesy of Deb Folsom, Ouray Mountain Rescue Team)
The avalanche occurred in the Cirque Peak area of the San Juan Mountains, according to the Ouray County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigator Joel Burke said in a press release that another skier in the group, Dominic Franz Muth, 24, of Breckenridge, was also buried about two feet deep but survived. Muth complained of hip pain and was taken to Montrose Memorial Hospital with possible broken bones.
The men were in a group of seven skiers who were staying at the Ridgway Hut near the base of Mt. Sneffels.
Ouray County Sheriff Dominic “Junior” Mattivi said he received a call from Montrose dispatch about 3:30 p.m. Thursday about an avalanche near Ridgway.
Mattivi said the terrain is so rugged that Ouray Mountain Rescue could not reach the scene by snowmobiles or skis, so helicopters were called in from Telluride and Olathe. The helicopters were able to land fairly close to the slide area, which was close to the hut, and the injured victim was brought down to Ridgway by 5:30 p.m. and taken to Montrose.
Sams was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mattivi said the avalanche occurred about 10 to 15 miles southwest of Ridgway. A spokeswoman for the San Juan Hut System said the Ridgway Hut is located at the base of Mt. Sneffels. The hut system is privately owned and maintains five huts from Ouray to Silverton, she said.
The victims were staying at the Ridgway hut and skiing the Dallas Trail backcountry, Mattivi said.
After the victims were brought off the mountain, one of the party returned to the Ridgway Hut to get supplies, but rescuers on skis and a Sno-Cat were able to get to the trailhead and bring him out.
“He was fine, but we didn’t think it was a good idea for him to spend the night alone,” Mattivi said.
The other members of the backcountry skiing group quickly located Muth and Sams, who was unresponsive and not breathing. They administered CPR immediately, but Sams was later pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy on Friday showed that Sams died of multiple traumatic fractures, Burke said.
According to Burke’s report, Sams was one of three skiers who became separated from the main group and ascended to a ridge above the tree line, triggering the avalanche. Sams attempted to ride out the avalanche, but hit a tree, which caused his fatal injuries.
Burke said this was the second avalanche in Ouray County involving backcountry skiers and the first avalanche related fatality since 1991.
This brings the number of deaths from avalanches to 14 during the 2009-2010 snow season in an area that covers Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Oregon, Montana and Idaho, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center website. It was the first avalanche death on the Western Slope and the second in the state. On Jan. 6, a snowboarder died after being partially buried on Battle Mountain near Vail. The CAIC will investigate the avalanche.
Rescuers set up a command post at County Road 5 and Elk Meadows Drive to coordinate the rescue and recovery effort, Burke said, and the Ouray School provided a bus to take rescuers to the site.
The rescue and recovery was a multi-agency effort, Mattivi said, with participation by his office, the Ouray Fire Department’s Extrication Team, Ouray Mountain Rescue, Ouray Emergency Medical Services and Ridgway State Park rangers. Helicopter assistance came from Telluride Helitrax and Olathe Spray Service. Several individuals with snow machines also assisted.
Story Posted Feb. 12, 10 a.m.:
Avalanche Near Ridgway Killed One, Injures Another
RIDGWAY – One person was killed and another seriously injured Thursday in an avalanche near Ridgway.
Ouray County Sheriff Dominic “Junior” Mattivi said he received a call from Montrose dispatch about 3:30 p.m. Thursday about an avalanche near the Ridgway Hut in San Juan Hut System.
Mattivi said the terrain is so rugged that the Ouray Mountain Rescue team could not reach the scene by snowmobiles or skis, so helicopters were called in from Telluride and Olathe. The helicopters were able to land fairly close to the slide area, close to the hut, and the injured victim was brought down to Ridgway by 5:30 p.m. and was transported by ground to Montrose Memorial Hospital.
The other victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Both the deceased and the injured victims were buried in the avalanche, Mattivi said. Names have not been released.
Mattivi said the avalanche occurred about 10 to 15 miles southwest of Ridgway. A spokeswoman for the San Juan Hut System said the Ridgway Hut is located at the base of Mt. Sneffels. The hut system is privately owned and maintains five huts from Ouray to Silverton, she said.
The victims were with a party of five to eight people staying at the Ridgway hut and skiing the Dallas Trail backcountry. After the victims were brought off the mountain, one member of the party returned to the Ridgway Hut where the group was staying, Mattivi said, but rescuers on a Sno-Cat were able to get to the trailhead and brought him out.
“He was fine, but we didn’t think it was a good idea for him to spend the night alone,” he said.
The rescue and recovery was a multi-agency effort, Mattivi said, with participation by his office, the Ouray Fire Department’s Extrication Team, Ouray Mountain Rescue and Ouray Emergency Medical Services. Helicopter assistance came from Telluride Helitrax and Olathe Spray Service. Several individuals with snowmobiles also assisted.
The avalanche will be investigated by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center in Silverton. This brings the number of deaths from avalanches to 14 during the 2009-2010 snow in an area that covers Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Oregon, Montana and Idaho, according to the CAIC website. It was the first avalanche death on the Western Slope and the second in the state. On Jan. 6, a snowboarder died after being partially buried on Battle Mountain near Vail.
Mattivi said he is waiting for confirmation before he releases any names, and that more information should be available by Friday afternoon.
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