35th Anniversary: Peak 7 Avalanche

[434stonemill]

Informative article on Colorado Sun website today discussing the avalanche that occurred on Peak 7 bowl above Breckenridge in 1987.

https://coloradosun.com/2022/02/18/peak ... ckenridge/

I was unaware of the history of this event and thought the discussion it brought about was very interesting, as we still are talking about many of those things today.

First and biggest take away: Even though a large number of skiers had skied the bowl, it did not mean it was safe and ultimately when it slid, it was a huge slide. Never take existence of tracks to mean something is safe.

Other things I found interesting: The discussion on whether a ski resort could close off access to the National Forest land that abuts its boundaries. Even after this major event, the National Forest has maintained that one can not close off access...it is up to the user to know the risks. I am partially surprised that a country that loves both freedom and lawsuits, that freedom has won out on this so far. Also interesting to see how the growth of the CAIC, education of the public and resources now available.

[Ptglhs]

Thanks for posting. It was an interesting read, and humbling too. I almost never ski, and try to avoid slopes where they could run out. I liked the portion which discussed public access on public lands. I hope people are cautious out there and don't get tunnel vision for good powder while ignoring the risks. I'm also reminded of Laurence Gonzales' book Deep Survival and the sand pile effect: in a large, complex system things will keep falling. Usually the falls are small, but people can do everything right and still get caught in a big fall.

[Gandalf69]

"It's not safe out here, it's wonderous......but it's not for the timid"

[BillMiddlebrook]

1988 was my first ski trip to Breckenridge (and CO) and I remember a conversation about this slide that I had with a patroller on the lift. Other than reading about avalanches and movies, that was the first time I thought about the dangers so close to ski areas. Heck, until then I didn’t know these resorts had bc gates.

Once I got heavy into BC peak skiing in the 90’s, the topic of that 87 event would come up here and there and we’ve had plenty of other accidents that constantly shine a light on the dangers outside the ski area. Remember Sheep Creek in 2013? That one spooked me even though I was fairly conservative in my peak ski planning.

There have been many, smaller events over the past few decades and there will likely be more. But to have one so big and in view of the lifts, must have been absolutely frightening for so many, including the patrollers.