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Adult son dies while backcountry skiing with father on Peak 10 near Breckenridge Saturday

The father had to ski out to call 911 after digging himself out from a partial burial

Ryan Spencer
Summit Daily
A man died after being buried in an avalanche in Peak 10's backcountry Saturday, Dec. 31, according to the Summit County Rescue Group.
Summit County Rescue Group/Courtesy Photo

A man died in an avalanche Saturday, Dec. 31, in a backcountry area called The Numbers, located outside the Breckenridge Ski Resort boundary on Peak 10, according to the Summit County Rescue Group.

A father and his adult son were caught in the avalanche around 1 p.m., with the father partially buried and the son fully buried, the rescue group said in a social media post. The older man was able to dig himself out and had to ski out of the area to get cell phone reception for a 911 call, which he made at 1:40 p.m., the post said.

The rescue group responded at 2:05 p.m. with 23 rescue group members and three members of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit, as well as Breckenridge Ski Resort ski patrol, according to the post.



A probe line was formed and he was found dead by a dog team at 3:11 p.m, the rescue group said. All rescuers were out of the field by 4:38 p.m.

The man was transported to Breckenridge Mountain Clinic and the Sheriff’s special operations unit performed an investigation at the scene, according to the post. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center will be on scene to complete an investigation on Jan. 1.


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