Vail & Summit County

Avalanche

Rock/mud side occurred on April 22th. Photos were taken today on the 28th. A large (relative to the path size) rock mud/slide in Switchback Chute #2 closed Hwy 24 with large boulders and mud debris across the road. Prior to the slide the starting zone of the path and the rock failure area in the Cliffs were covered with a thin, wet, melting snowpack. The slide caught and damaged 1 vehicle without injury to the passengers. The boulders were drilled and blasted to remove them from the highway. Switchback Chute #2 was widened significantly and may pose a greater snow avalanche risk to the highway in the future.