Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard will be away from the team indefinitely while he receives care from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Girard cited anxiety and depression leading to alcohol abuse as the reason for entering the program.

A skier was killed in a large avalanche just outside a Colorado ski resort boundary on Sunday, a day after authorities recovered the body of another avalanche victim in the state.

It’s the peak of an epic ski season across the Mountain West. With more storms on the way and spring breakers soon descending, avalanche experts are urging caution.

Researchers have developed a snow and rain tracker that gathers data from citizen scientists in an effort to improve the accuracy of storm warnings and water management.

A case that drew the attention of backcountry recreators across the Mountain West has come to a close.

Not enough jurors showed up for a trial last week in a case that could have implications for avalanche safety in the Mountain West.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center counts at least 33 avalanche deaths across the country so far this season. That number eclipses the 23 fatalities for the entire winter the year before – and several years prior.

The deaths of two Colorado men caught in backcountry avalanches and a third in Montana over the frigid Presidents Day weekend underscore the winter dangers in the Rocky Mountain wilderness. Forecasters say exceptionally weak layers of snowpack have created the most hazardous conditions in a decade.

Avalanches in the Rocky Mountains killed four people late last week, three in Colorado and one in Wyoming. A fairly dry early season is leading to a thin snowpack, which means dangerous conditions.

Two snowboarders who triggered an avalanche in the backcountry of Colorado in March are facing criminal charges.