Sawatch

Avalanche

Two riders, a skier and a snowboarder and their dog were ascending a northeast aspect on Mount Peck southeast of Monarch Ski area. At about 4:00PM they triggered an avalanche. The skier deployed his airbag and was partially buried and lost a ski. The snowboarder who was below was unable to deploy her airbag and she was partially buried without a viable airway. The skier was able to extricate her. Both riders were uninjured and made it out under their own power. They could not find the dog or tracks after the avalanche, but the dog returned to the trailhead on the evening of March 12.