5 snowboarders killed in avalanche

GEORGETOWN, Colo. - Five snowboarders were killed Saturday afternoon after apparently triggering a backcountry avalanche on Colorado’s Loveland Pass, authorities said.

Search-and-rescue crews recovered the bodies several hours after the avalanche, which was 600 feet wide and 8 feet deep, Clear Creek County Sheriff Don Krueger said.

A sixth snowboarder caught in the avalanche was able to dig himself out and call for help, Krueger said. That person’s condition wasn’t immediately known.

The victims all had avalanche beacons, Krueger added.

Searchers from Clear Creek County, Summit County, an alpine search-and-rescue team, and the Loveland and Arapahoe Basin ski resorts located the bodies,Krueger said.

The Colorado Department of Transportation closed U.S. 6, which crosses the Continental Divide near the scene of the avalanche, to facilitate the search. The pass is heavily traveled by skiers visiting the nearby Arapahoe Basin ski resort.

The bodies were taken to the Clear Creek coroner’s office. The victims’ identities weren’t immediately known.

Front Section, Pages 6 on 04/21/2013

Upcoming Events