A Colorado backcountry skier died after he was buried alive in an avalanche on Christmas Eve.
On Friday an unidentified backcountry skier got caught in a 250-feet wide avalanche in Colorado on the northeast-facing slope on the South Diamond Peak near Cameron Pass around 2 pm, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said.
The victim's partner was able to find him with a transceiver and probe pole and dig him out of the snow, but by then it was already too late.
The area where the victim's body was later recovered by rescue crews from Jackson County and the Diamond Peaks Ski Patrol
A unidentified backcountry skier got caught in a 250-feet wide avalanche in Colorado on the northeast-facing slope on the South Diamond Peak near Cameron Pass (pictured)
The victim's body was later recovered by rescue crews from Jackson County and the Diamond Peaks Ski Patrol.
'Our deepest condolences go out to the friends and family and everyone affected by this tragic accident,' CAIC said.
Currently the threat for avalanches across Colorado is at level four or five, which is high.
'The avalanche danger is HIGH (Level 4 of 5) across much of Colorado,' the CAIC warned. 'Be very careful if you are traveling in the mountains over the next few days.'
'When you put a lot of weight on the snowpack in a short amount of time, it has a hard time adjusting for that and breaks and produces avalanches,' CAIC Director Ethan Greene said.
Friday's unidentified skier was the first avalanche death recorded in Colorado this season.
During the 2020-2021 Colorado avalanche season, 12 people died which was double the 10-year average.
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