FOX31 Denver

Snowshoer, dogs killed in avalanche near Marble

Lanie Lee Cook

PITKIN COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A snowshoer and two dogs were killed Friday in an avalanche outside of Marble.

Search teams on Saturday found the body of the 27-year-old man and the dogs, who had been missing since the avalanche late Friday afternoon in Gunnison County. A family member identified the man as 27-year-old Nate Schmidt.

Three snowshoers and two dogs were traveling Friday afternoon on an unmaintained road in the lower part of Yule Creek, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

They “moved to a road that cut mid-slope along the side of a steep gully,” the CAIC said in a report. “They triggered an avalanche and the moving snow pushed them down into the gully. The debris formed a deep pile in the gully bottom.”

Two people were partially buried but able to dig out. The avalanche was reported around 4:47 p.m., according to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, which is assisting in the incident.

Rescuers went to the scene with two of the snowshoers, but they were unable to locate the man and missing dogs by Friday night.

“Due to the area’s unstable conditions and time of day, search efforts were limited to areas that could be safely examined, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Looking upstream (to the south) at the lower portion of Yule Creek. A Feb. 25, 2022, avalanche released as snowshoers traveled along the road on the left side of the gully. (Photo from Colorado Avalanche Information Center courtesy of Mountain Rescue Aspen)
A Google Earth image of lower Yule Creek, looking to the north, where an avalanche triggered on Feb. 25, 2022, killing one snowshoer and two dogs. The red circle marks the accident site. The Town of Marble is visible in the upper left portion of the image. (Colorado Avalanche Information Center via Google Earth)
Looking uphill at the crown of the avalanche triggered on Feb. 25, 2022, outside of Marble, which killed one snowshoer and two dogs. (Colorado Avalanche Information Center)
Looking to the north at the snowshoe track and the flank of the avalanche that triggered on Feb. 25, 2022, outside of Marble, killing one snowshoer and two dogs. (Colorado Avalanche Information Center)
A map from Caltopo of the Town of Marble and lower Yule Creek. The red circle marks the site where an avalanche triggered on Feb. 25, 2022, killing one snowshoer and two dogs. (Colorado Avalanche Information Center)
A map of the area between McClure Pass and Aspen, where an avalanche slid on Feb. 25, 2022, killing one snowshoer and two dogs. (Colorado Avalanche Information Center)
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The search was stopped at 9:14 p.m. Friday. Support services were offered for the three other members of the party.

Rescuers returned on Saturday and found the missing man buried nearly 5 feet deep in the avalanche path, along with the two dogs. The man was extricated from the spot just before 4 p.m. Saturday, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators found the avalanche happened on a west-facing slope below the treeline, according to the CAIC. It was about 50 feet wide and 250 vertical feet, and the face of the crown was 1-2 feet deep.

West Elk Mountain Rescue, Mountain Rescue Aspen, Carbondale Fire and Rescue District, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, and the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office responded.

Avalanche advisory in effect

The avalanche was triggered on a weekend when Colorado’s mountains are under a special avalanche advisory. Responders are warning people of the following: