A backcountry skier died in an avalanche Saturday in the Fish Creek drainage area east of Steamboat Springs.
The Routt County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the avalanche, which involved two skiers, at about 12:20 p.m., the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Neither of the skiers were fully buried by the avalanche. One came to rest against a tree and was unconscious, the sheriff’s office said. The skier who survived performed CPR on the unconscious man for about an hour as the sheriff’s office, Routt County Search and Rescue and Classic Air Medical responded to the scene.
The avalanche, which was triggered by the skiers, happened at about 9,800-feet elevation, according to the“Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the people involved in this tragic accident,” CAIC said on its website. Classic Air evacuated the surviving skier by helicopter. Efforts to remove the victim’s body from the mountain continued late in the day Saturday. CAIC staff will visit the avalanche site on Sunday and publish a final report next week.