February 14, 2024 ♥♥♥ |
Photo – Avalanche – Courtesy USDA Forest Service
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center reports that on Friday, two people on snowmobiles triggered an avalanche, which killed Saratoga Town Councilman Jacob Fluty.
According to the CAIC report, the fatality took place as the pair rode along the lower portion of an open east-facing slope in Haskins Creek, northwest of Battle Pass in the Sierra Madre range.
“The avalanche broke two-to-eight feet deep and very wide,” officials said in the report. Both riders were caught in the massive slide.
The site elevation is 10,400 feet. The area includes a rock outcropping along the top with a few trees on the slope in the slide area. The vertical fall on the slope is 500 feet. The area is known locally as “Avalanche Alley.”
According to the report, the surviving snowmobiler rode out of the moving debris and turned to see the other rider partially buried.
The rider dug his partner free and performed CPR, officials said, but the person did not survive.
A storm brought fresh snow to the area Wednesday and Thursday.
Sledders and other outdoor adventurers are encouraged to visit ewyoavalnche.org before venturing into the backcountry to learn about the latest snow conditions.
Fluty was a Saratoga Town Councilman. He leaves behind a wife and three young children.
