Colorado Avalanche Kills Skier Who Was 'Fully Buried' In Snow

A skier in Colorado died after getting "fully buried" in an avalanche. The incident marks the first avalanche death in the state this snow season.

The accident happened on the southeast end of South Diamond Peak near Cameron Pass on Friday, USA Today reported.

The avalanche was 150 feet wide and broke on a layer of faceted snow "one to three feet below the snow surface," Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) said.

"The victim's partner was able to locate him with a transceiver and probe pole and extricate him from the snow, but he did not survive," the CAIC said in a statement. Later, search and rescue personnel from Jackson County and the Diamond Peaks Ski Patrol recovered the body of the unidentified skier.

"What everybody has in common is that desire to really experience the mountains in kind of a raw and ungroomed, unkempt manner. Unfortunately, once you get caught, you just don't have that many options. Your chance of survival drops precipitously," CAIC Director Ethan Greene told KMGH.

Greene said skiers should understand the weather condition and try to avoid getting caught in the avalanche. They should also carry an avalanche rescue transceiver, pro pole and a shovel while going to the backcountry in the winter.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the friends and family and everyone affected by this tragic accident," the center said.

An avalanche warning has been issued for the Front Range, Steamboat and Flat Tops, Vail and Summit County, Grand Mesa, Aspen, Sawatch Range and Northern San Juan mountain areas until Monday.

This isn't the first such accident in Diamond Peak. A skier was caught in an avalanche near Cameron Pass in 2019 that ran close to 500 feet vertically. Other members of her ski party dug her out of the snow but she succumbed to her injuries.

Earlier this month, three skiers in Austria were killed in a 650-feet wide avalanche. The skiers were taken to a hospital but they did not survive the ordeal.