{"id":63443,"date":"2019-03-13T05:18:10","date_gmt":"2019-03-13T11:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-sees-record-avalanche-activity\/"},"modified":"2019-03-13T11:18:10","modified_gmt":"2019-03-13T11:18:10","slug":"colorado-sees-record-avalanche-activity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/colorado-sees-record-avalanche-activity\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado sees record avalanche activity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><!-- gallery:1491816b-9368-4651-9f7d-939bc0cae045 --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video wp-block-embed-youtube naviga-video-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/38_ynZ4JY40\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Avalanches are coming down at a historic rate across Colorado. In Southwest Colorado alone, the<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s more and they\u2019re bigger,\u201d said Ethan Greene, director of CAIC.<\/p>\n<p>A weak, early season snowpack was the first piece of the puzzle to fall in place that set up Colorado\u2019s record-breaking avalanche activity this year. Consistent snowfall through winter built strong, flat layers of snow on top of the weak, unstable layer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen, really intense snowfall over a sustained period overloaded it all,\u201d Greene said. \u201cAnd because of all the low elevation snow, whole avalanche paths are full of snow, which creates a really powerful debris flow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=08785d54-5866-4195-8c29-272cf869dcb2&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=08785d54-5866-4195-8c29-272cf869dcb2&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=800 800w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=08785d54-5866-4195-8c29-272cf869dcb2&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=08785d54-5866-4195-8c29-272cf869dcb2&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1800 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 2000px\" width=\"789\" height=\"526\" alt=\"Rock Gulch near Stony Pass hasn\u2019t run since the 1940s, according to longtime Silverton residents. But a recent slide came within nearly 600 feet of the structure pictured here, the Buffalo Boy Tram Tower.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Rock Gulch near Stony Pass hasn\u2019t run since the 1940s, according to longtime Silverton residents. But a recent slide came within nearly 600 feet of the structure pictured here, the Buffalo Boy Tram Tower.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>During the first 10 days of March, the CAIC recorded more than 500 avalanches statewide. For the season, a total of eight people have been killed in avalanches, three of whom were in Southwest Colorado.<\/p>\n<p>Around Silverton, longtime locals are seeing avalanches break in places never seen before.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, one avalanche path, known as the Idaho, tumbled down toward the town, almost reaching the Animas River. It\u2019s a slide locals keep a close eye on: Silverton\u2019s Visitor Center is in its path.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome of the old timers were saying they haven\u2019t seen it run that far since the 1980s,\u201d said Jim Donovan, San Juan County\u2019s director for the Office of Emergency Management.<\/p>\n<p>DeAnne Gallegos, director of the Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce, said big winters are definitely felt in the town of 600. There\u2019s only two ways in and out of town, so residents can be cut off from services, and alternatively, people can\u2019t get to the town to shop or recreate.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=affde421-981a-41d2-a580-65c33e973f0b&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=affde421-981a-41d2-a580-65c33e973f0b&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=800 800w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=affde421-981a-41d2-a580-65c33e973f0b&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=affde421-981a-41d2-a580-65c33e973f0b&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1800 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 2000px\" alt=\"Avalanches are coming down all over the state of Colorado. Recent avalanche mitigation work on Red Mountain Pass released more snow than expected, closing U.S. Highway 550 indefinitely.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Avalanches are coming down all over the state of Colorado. Recent avalanche mitigation work on Red Mountain Pass released more snow than expected, closing U.S. Highway 550 indefinitely.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Colorado Department of Transportation<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>\u201cIt can make us the biggest dead end cul-de-sac,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s been plenty of times where we have been cut off to the access of the outside world. It\u2019s kind of wild. I\u2019m always excited about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/silvertonmountain.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Silverton Mountain<\/a> co-owner Jenn Brill declined to comment for this story, but Donovan said the remote ski area that offers some of the most expert, extreme terrain in Colorado is still running trips.<\/p>\n<p>Yet avalanche danger can be a concern there, too. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SilvertonMountain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Silverton Mountain posted to Facebook<\/a> that one of its ski patrollers conducting a snow safety assessment triggered a slide March 3 in an area not open to the public. The person was injured but recovering, the post said.<\/p>\n<p>By far, the most direct impact to residents in Silverton is the closure of Red Mountain Pass, cutting off an important lifeline to Ouray and Montrose. While the pass has closed for short periods with relative frequency this winter, recent avalanche work on the pass released more snow onto the road than expected, burying it 60 feet of snow. <a href=\"https:\/\/durangoherald.com\/articles\/267167\">It\u2019s now closed indefinitely<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=e2e7a7d7-9821-4ae2-866f-7d69e8d5c9e5&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=e2e7a7d7-9821-4ae2-866f-7d69e8d5c9e5&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=800 800w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=e2e7a7d7-9821-4ae2-866f-7d69e8d5c9e5&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=e2e7a7d7-9821-4ae2-866f-7d69e8d5c9e5&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1800 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 2000px\" alt=\"Colorado Department of Transportation crews clear snow from Red Mountain Pass between Silverton and Ouray. It\u2019s estimated that the road is buried in 60 feet of snow.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Colorado Department of Transportation crews clear snow from Red Mountain Pass between Silverton and Ouray. It\u2019s estimated that the road is buried in 60 feet of snow.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Colorado Department of Transportation<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Donovan said many people rely on access to Ouray or Montrose for things like medicine and supplies. But Silverton residents are a hardy breed and prepare for such obstacles, either heading south to Durango or stocking up.<\/p>\n<p>One thing that hasn\u2019t been affected is the delivery of the town\u2019s mail, as well as its historic newspaper, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.silvertonstandard.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Silverton Standard &amp; the Miner<\/a>, which both come from Montrose.<\/p>\n<p>Editor Mark Esper said the town has been able to get its mail from a U.S. Postal Service-contracted company, a two person operation that takes the long way \u2013 about 12 hours and 550 miles \u2013 from Montrose, over Lizard Head Pass and up from Durango, every day, even in inclement weather.<\/p>\n<p>Esper was able to work out a deal with the company to bring along the weekly paper, which hits newsstands Thursdays. The Standard\u2019s newspaperman said it\u2019s an eerie scene in Silverton right now, with snow suffocating the town.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCabin fever is setting in,\u201d Esper joked. \u201cAnd there\u2019s no end in sight. But it\u2019s an adventure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=17051c23-3b83-4cee-a8db-a5e1515f9b94&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=17051c23-3b83-4cee-a8db-a5e1515f9b94&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=800 800w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=17051c23-3b83-4cee-a8db-a5e1515f9b94&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1200 1200w, https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=17051c23-3b83-4cee-a8db-a5e1515f9b94&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=1800 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 2000px\" alt=\"A Colorado Department of Transportation front-end loader clears snow off U.S. Highway 550 near Lime Creek on Tuesday.\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">A Colorado Department of Transportation front-end loader clears snow off U.S. Highway 550 near Lime Creek on Tuesday.<\/span><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Dan Bender<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Esper said Red Mountain Pass was closed in 2014 for three weeks after mudslides in the summer damaged the road.<\/p>\n<p>Southwest Colorado\u2019s snowpack is at 145 percent of historic averages as of Tuesday and more snow is on the way this week.<\/p>\n<p>Mike McVaugh, Colorado Department of Transportation\u2019s Southwest Colorado Regional Transportation director, said at a media briefing outside Ouray on Monday that the wet, heavy snow could make for a long haul digging out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt just makes a more dramatic, less safe environment for everybody to be working in,\u201d McVaugh said.<\/p>\n<p>Avalanche danger going forward depends on a few factors with weather conditions. But if temperatures rise and snow melts fast, even more slides could be on the way, Greene said.<\/p>\n<p><em class=\"mwc_shirttail\"><a href=\"mailto:jromeo@durangoherald.com\">jromeo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Intense snowfall on weak snowpack triggers hundreds of slides<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":63444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[377,576,13,28,445,1562,327],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-63443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-avalanche-landslide","tag-colorado-department-of-transportation","tag-frontpage-lead","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter-lead","tag-san-juan-county-colorado","tag-silverton"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63443\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63443"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=63443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}