Longmont Man Reported Killed In Western Colorado Avalanche

LONGMONT, CO -- One man was killed Saturday, Jan. 5 during an avalanche safety training course in Ouray County. According to the Durango Herald, that man has been identified as Peter Marshall, 40, of Longmont. The incident occurred on Upper Senator Beck Basin, northwest of Red Mountain Pass.

A group of backcountry skiers participating in the safety course triggered an avalanche on the afternoon of Jan. 5, according to a report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. All six members of the group were caught in the avalanche. The avalanche then released a second avalanche sympathetically, which ran over the debris pile of the first slide.

One member of the group was buried in the debris of the two avalanches. The rest of the group was able to located him and extract him from under at least 2.5 m of snow. Although they tried to revive him on site, they were unsuccessful.

The rest of the group made their way to US 550 with the help of San Juan County Search and Rescue, Ouray Mountain Rescue, La Plata County Search and Rescue, Careflight, and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

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Image via Colorado Avalanche Information Center: The red line marks the crown face of the two avalanches. The group of skiers triggered the avalanche on the right, and the avalanche on the left released sympathetically.