A solo backcountry snowboarder was killed Thursday after being caught and buried in an avalanche southwest of Ophir, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
The slide occurred about 3 p.m. at 13,000 feet elevation in the Poverty Gulch area southeast of Trout Lake in San Miguel County.
The victim was identified by the San Miguel Sheriff’s Office as Devin Overton, 29, of Telluride.
The CAIC reported that Telluride Helitrax, a local helicopter skiing and snowboarding service, was flying in the area when a guide noticed a large fresh avalanche. A single set of tracks was visible going into the slide area, but none were seen going out.
Two guides were dropped off on the avalanche debris field and found Overton with a transceiver search, but he had not survived. He was buried about 6½ feet deep.
San Miguel County Search and Rescue, San Miguel Sheriff’s Office and Helitrax responded to the site and assisted in the recovery of Overton. Next of kin have been notified.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the friends, family and everyone involved in this incident,” CAIC said.
CAIC forecasters planned to visit the site and publish an accident report in the next week.
The area of the slide is in the Northern San Juan Mountains. Avalanche risk in the area was rated “moderate” Thursday by the avalanche center, which is a Level 2 on an ascending risk scale of 1 to 5.
The avalanche was unintentionally triggered by Overton, CAIC said.
“The avalanche broke deep, failing in old snow layers,” said avalanche forecaster Chris Bilbrey in a report. “While the chances to trigger a larger avalanche have decreased recently, this incident is a stark reminder of the kind of avalanche you can trigger today.”
An avalanche triggered in wind-drifted snow has the potential to break deeper and broader than backcountry travelers expect, making a more significant slide. Slopes at high elevation are the most dangerous spots because dense slabs lie atop weak collapsible snow layers.
“Yesterday’s fatal avalanche in the North San Juan zone is a sobering reminder of our primary concern – slides breaking 2 to 3 feet deep in weak, faceted snow below a stiff overlying slab,” Bilbrey said in the report. “You may not get the typical warning signs such as collapses and shooting cracks in the snowpack before triggering an avalanche.”
Overton grew up in Ridgway and was an experienced backcountry snowboarder, according to an article by Venture Snowboards.
When not working in restaurants in Telluride, he could be found exploring the San Juan Mountains on his splitboard, the article said.
A splitboard is a specialized backcountry snowboard that disassembles into two planks and allows the user to climb up steep mountain slopes. The planks are reattached to snowboard down.
When asked by Venture Snowboards what his greatest accomplishment was, Overton said that “nearly every day I can stand on a big peak beside a couple of my closest friends, with thousands of feet of great snow below us, as I spin in a circle identifying all the amazing places I’ve ridden my snowboard before, all the crazy places I know I’ll soon explore.”
Overton produced Vimeo videos of his snowboarding mountaineering adventures, including one titled “Steep, Deep, and Sensual: A Powder Point of View.”
Five people have died in avalanches this winter. The fatality Thursday was the first one in Southwest Colorado this season.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com
