Two new avalanches hit Colorado roadways
Two more avalanches were reported in Colorado's high country Saturday morning along minor roadways. No vehicles were caught in the slides and no one was hurt, the Associated Press reports.
One avalanche, which forced Pitkin County officials to close Castle Creek Road, knocked a power line down in the Conundrum area, CBS Denver reports. Power is expected to be restored on Sunday.
Another avalanche hit Highway 82 between Twin Lakes and Independence Pass. That highway is already closed during the winter months.
The Colorado Department of Transportation cautioned that there remained a high risk of avalanches.
Major highways are open and ski resorts are back in business after avalanches caused havoc over the past week.
The Arapahoe Basin ski resort reopened Saturday after being closed the previous two days because of avalanche danger.
Heavy snow has triggered more than 2,000 avalanches in the state so far this season. At least seven backcountry skiers have been killed, including one on Thursday.
In the past week, Colorado has seen over 300 avalanches with a level of danger not been seen in decades. On Sunday, dash cam video caught an avalanche as it plowed across I-70 west of Denver. Remarkably, no one was hurt.
Then the Colorado Department of Transportation triggered what it thought would be a small avalanche to mitigate the risk. Instead, it exploded in size, and a 300-foot wave buried the whole highway.