A Colorado woman began searching under the snow after learning that her husband was buried in an avalanche after he failed to check in as scheduled.
Donald Morden Jr., a 57-year-old veteran skier who was once part of the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team, was killed on January 7 in an area off Red Mountain Pass known as “Bollywood.” Ouray County Plain Dealer Reported.
The 57-year-old man likely remained buried for more than four hours before being discovered, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) said in a report.
The avalanche was 800 feet wide and traveled 400 vertical feet, authorities wrote.
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Donald Morden Jr., 57, was buried by an avalanche in Ouray County, Colorado, on January 7, according to the California Avalanche Information Center. The body was likely buried in the snow for four hours before it was discovered. (Facebook)
Moden's wife contacted the Ouray County Sheriff's Office after her husband did not check in as scheduled and went to the trailhead herself. She turned on her avalanche transceiver and immediately received a response from her husband's transceiver. Colorado Sun Reported. She quickly spotted him with an avalanche probe and called for help from surrounding skiers.
In addition to the walkie-talkie, Morden was also carrying an avalanche airbag backpack, which never deployed, the paper said.
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The photo is an aerial photograph of the accident site. CAIC said Moden began his descent from the yellow circle and was found buried at the red X. (California Avalanche Information Center)
CAIC said he was likely skiing downhill when he was caught in the avalanche and was on his seventh ski run of the day. They wrote that he was buried too deeply to rescue himself.
“He had skied Red Mountain Pass for 16 years and was familiar with the terrain of Red No. 3,” the report said. “He selected the appropriate terrain for the day based on his previous experience with slopes and snow cover.”
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The head and toe of the Ouray County avalanche that killed Morden are right and left, respectively. (CAIC)
CAIC said Moden had been skiing on an adjacent slope the day before, but there were no signs of possibly dangerous snow accumulation.
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Morden's death was the first reported avalanche fatality in Colorado this season. Since Nov. 9, CAIC has reported 25 backcountry skiers and travelers caught in 23 different avalanches.
Seven of the victims were buried under snow and debris. According to the Colorado Sun, those numbers aren't noticeably higher than last season.
