DENVER — Over the past seven days, as a monster winter storm dumped several feet of snow on Colorado's high country, there have been reports of more than 800 avalanches – and that's "only a fraction" of how many actually took place, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).
> Video above: Snow piles up in Colorado's mountains from recent storms
As of Wednesday afternoon, CAIC recorded 803 avalanches between Jan. 11 and Jan. 17. That's about 40% of the more than 1,850 avalanches recorded in the state since Oct. 1. CAIC Deputy Director Brian Lazar said that yes, that's a lot of avalanches in a few days, but it isn't surprising.
"We have a weak snowpack structure ... essentially coming into the new year, and then we loaded it with multiple successive storms," he said. "It's quite common for us to see a big uptick in avalanche activity."
The high country had weak snow due to a drought in December, and the big snowfall totals over the past week were the first test of those snow layers, which "failed in dramatic fashion," Lazar said.
Through next week, the mountains will continue to see dangerous avalanche conditions, he said.
CAIC was still inputting data from avalanches over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, but preliminary data shows that the day with the most recorded avalanches was Sunday, with 287. That was followed by 249 on Thursday and 121 on Monday.
The region with the most recorded avalanches was Gunnison with 225, followed by Aspen with 154 and the North San Juans with 121. The Front Range saw 48 avalanches, according to CAIC.
Those numbers represent a "fraction" of the total number of avalanches that occurred.
"We just can't see every slope on every mountain throughout the state of Colorado," Lazar said.
He said those traveling to the backcountry can best stay safe by checking on avalanche conditions. Anyone traveling to the backcountry should avoid avalanche terrain and carry essential rescue gear – including a transceiver, shovel and probe – in case something goes wrong. Lazar also said it's safer to travel with partners who are practiced in using that equipment.
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