Avalanches in western US claim more lives in recent weeks including a weekend death in Colorado

WINTER PARK, Colo. — One person was killed in an avalanche in central Colorado on Saturday, marking just the latest fatality stemming from avalanches in the western U.S. this season.

Authorities in Grand County responded Saturday to what they described as a skier-triggered avalanche in a steep area known as "The Fingers” above Berthoud Pass. It was the second reported avalanche in the county that day. A few people were caught in the other slide but were uninjured.

Saturday's avalanche death is the third in Colorado this winter and the second fatality in less than a week in that state, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. A Crested Butte snowboarder was killed Feb. 20 in a slide west of Silverton.

Elsewhere, three people died in avalanches Feb. 17 — one person near Lake Tahoe and two backcountry skiers in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. On Feb. 8, a well-known outdoor guide was caught in an avalanche in Utah and was killed.

In California, Mammoth Mountain confirmed Saturday in a social media post that a member of the ski patrol there died from injuries sustained in an avalanche that occurred last week. Officials said Claire Murphy was one of two ski patrol staffers who were caught in a slide during avalanche mitigation work being done the morning of Feb. 14.

The mitigation work followed a major a storm that dumped about 6 feet (1.8 meters) of snow over 36 hours in the Sierra Nevada. The other ski patroller caught in that avalanche was extracted and was responsive, while Murphy was taken to a hospital with injuries.

“Our hearts are with her family and our community as we navigate this tragedy together,” Mammoth Mountain said in its post.

Each winter, 25 to 30 people die in avalanches in the U.S., according to the National Avalanche Center. The center's current map shows moderate and considerable risks in parts of Colorado, Utah and Idaho while avalanche warnings are in place for areas in Washington and neighboring Montana.

The Grand County Sheriff's Office in Colorado issued a message Sunday urging backcountry recreational enthusiasts to always carry essential equipment and check daily avalanche forecasts.