Colorado Skier's Head Buried In October Avalanche On Popular 14er

It’s only the end of October, but the first major avalanche burial of the season has officially taken place in Colorado, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).

“On Sunday, Oct. 25, a skier triggered a large wind slab avalanche on an east-facing slope above 14,000 feet on Mount Bross,” writes CAIC in an Instagram post reporting on the accident. “The skier was partially buried with their head under the snow. Fortunately, their partners performed a swift companion rescue and recovered the skier in about five minutes. The group was then able to self-evacuate.”

The avalanche ran approximately 500 vertical feet and stepped down to ground level for about a third of its path, according to the field report.

Mount Bross, located just south of Breckenridge and standing at 14,178 feet, can offer early-season backcountry descents, but as the CAIC says in their caption, it doesn’t take a lot of snow for avalanche conditions to form, even in October.

“This was an extremely close call and a stark reminder that it doesn’t take much snow to create dangerous avalanche conditions. Early in the season, the most tempting places to ride are often the most dangerous,” says CAIC. “While wind-drifted snow looks appealing because it covers shallow obstacles, recent drifting snow built stiff, potentially unstable slabs on high-elevation alpine slopes. These slabs are now large enough to bury, injure, or kill a person.”

Colorado has seen a consistent stream of high-elevation snow in the month of October, and temperatures are expected to drop in November, with more snow in the forecast, too.

Ski resorts like Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Loveland, Winter Park, and Copper are racing to open their chairlifts, but backcountry skiers who are willing to head high have been scoring since the middle of the month.

CAIC’s daily avalanche forecasts will begin on November 1, 2026, but don’t let the early-season hype cloud your judgment. Avalanches can and will happen. The CAIC offered this advice to skiers who are thinking about venturing into the high country for early-season backcountry turns:

“If you are heading into the high country, avoid slopes steeper than 30 degrees where recent snow has drifted, and pay close attention to cracking as a clear sign of slab formation. With the current thin snowpack, even a small avalanche can knock you off your feet and carry you into exposed rocks, downed logs, or over a cliff.”

Stay safe out there, friends.

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