Front Range
AvalancheMark Obmascik · Jan 17, 2015 · Front Range
Weather
about 20 degrees, <10 mph winds. Previous night was 50 mph winds and 4-6 inches fresh snow
Avalanche
I had skinned up to the top of Perfect Trees with two friends when we saw another group 1/4-1/2 mile away on the top of the Postage Stamp along the ridge of the Continental Divide. The Postage Stamp is a notorious tree-free slide zone at about 12,000 feet with slopes 35-45 degrees. The first skier from that group made about three turns before the slope collapsed, skier's right. He made one turn into the slide before figuring out he needed to get out of there. We could not see him and called out to him, but received no answer. From above him, the other three skiers in the group dropped in succession and skied the same slope. (This time the swept run sounded icy.) After a few minutes, the skier who triggered the avy ski right by our group. He said he had expected to set off an avy, but he called it "low-consequence" because he figured he would be swept no more than 100 feet in to a safe zone. He said his group had gained the ridge above the Postage Stamp by skinning up Second Creek, where the group had passed a large (estimated 500 foot) avy on their way up. I have attached a picture of the fourth and last skier in the Postage Stamp group skiing below the released slope. When our group returned to the Current Creek parking area at US 40, we were met by two police cars. One officer asked if we knew about any avalanches up there, and I told him the above story -- no injuries, no burials, lots of luck. Fun times.