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Upgraded website forecasts avalanche danger in Colorado

By Seth Boster 11/08/2022 | updated 3 years ago

Colorado Avalanche Information Center has upgraded its website in hopes of better preparing this winter’s backcountry travelers.

The center’s director, Ethan Greene, called it “a much-needed upgrade” in a news release. The hope is an easier, more in-depth interactive experience, complete with “dynamic forecast zones” that color code ranges in terms of risk.

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Early into the season, the map has already highlighted Level 2 (“moderate”) and Level 3 (“considerable”) danger, particularly in the southwest San Juan Mountains. The interface provides detailed descriptions of how slabs have formed and warning signs of instability. Attached photos show those warning signs. Also, meters depict danger by elevation and the likelihood and potential size of slides.

Elsewhere on the website, users can file and read field reports, track weather and find tools and resources for education and training.

Avalanches kill more people in Colorado than anywhere else in the U.S. Over the past decade, slides on average have claimed the lives of six skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers and hikers every year. Seven deaths were recorded last season, preceded by 12 in the 2020-21 season.

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The debris field of an avalanche that caught, buried and killed a backcountry snowboarder on March 17, 2020, in southwest Colorado.
Courtesy of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center
Seth Boster

Reporter

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