Skier Killed In Avalanche Didn't Mean To Wind Up Where He Did
DURANGO, Colo. (CBS4) — A 21-year-old Durango man killed by an avalanche skied into an area he knew was dangerous and had meant to avoid.
That's according to a new report on the Jan. 21 slide that killed Abel Palmer. It was the first death from an avalanche this winter in Colorado.
A report by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center says Palmer was with a backcountry ski partner and they both got caught in the avalanche in an area on the south side of Red Mountain Pass locally known as Sam's Trees, not far from Silverton.
"This was a persistent slab avalanche that ran on old snow layers near the ground," the Center stated in a video report on the slide.
The report states the two skiers got off track and ended up in the dangerous gully despite a plan they made to avoid the spot.
The avalanche was 240 feet wide and covered 230 vertical feet.
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The Durango Herald reported Palmer's ski partner and others tried to revive him with CPR for over three hours.
