Veteran skier found buried in avalanche on deserted trail by wife using transceiver
A Colorado woman discovered that her husband had been buried in an avalanche after he didn’t go in as planned, so she began searching for him under the snow.
Donald Moden Jr., a 57-year-old veteran skier and former member of the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team, was killed Jan. 7 in an area near Red Mountain Pass known as “Bollywood,” reports the Ouray County Plaindealer.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) wrote in a report that the man, 57, was buried more than four hours before he was found.
The avalanche was 800 meters wide and moved 400 meters vertically, the agency wrote.
TEEN DIES AT SKI RESORT NEAR POSH MOUNTAIN TOWN
Donald Moden Jr., 57, was buried by flooding in Ouray County, Colorado on Jan. 7. He was probably buried in snow for four hours before he was found dead, according to the California Avalanche Information Center. (Facebook)
Moden’s wife contacted the Ouray County Sheriff’s Office when her husband did not come in as planned, and then went on her own. She turned on the avalanche transceiver and immediately got a response from her husband’s pager, the Colorado Sun reported. He quickly found him with an avalanche probe and called the surrounding skiers to help.
In addition to his transceiver, the outlet reported, Moden was wearing an avalanche airbag that had never been deployed.
COLLEGE RUNNER DIES IN EXCESSIVE SKI RESORT ACCIDENT
The image is an aerial view of the accident site. Moden’s lineage began in the yellow circle, and he was found buried in the red X, according to CAIC. (California Avalanche Information Center)
He may have been skiing downhill when he was hit by an avalanche, the CAIC said, and was making his seventh run of the day. He was buried too deep to save himself, they wrote.
“He had been skiing Red Mountain Pass for 16 years and knew the area of Red Number 3 very well,” the report read. “He chose his location as appropriate for the day based on his previous experience with the slope and the snowpack.”
‘Rich’ MASSACHUSETTS BOY, 12, NAMED NEW WORLD’S BEST HAMPSHIRE SKI BOAT
The head and toe of the Ouray County avalanche that killed Moden are right and left, respectively. (CAIC)
Moden skied on nearby snow the day before and may not have seen signs of dangerous snow, the CAIC said.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
Moden’s death is the first reported avalanche fatality in Colorado this ski season. As of Nov. 9, CAIC reported 25 backcountry skiers and hikers caught in 23 separate avalanches.
Seven of those victims were buried by snow and debris. According to the Colorado Sun, those numbers are not much higher than those of previous seasons.
Source link
