Backcountry skier dies in avalanche in Colorado on Christmas Eve

Dec. 25 (UPI) -- A backcountry skier was killed into an avalanche near Cameron Pass in the Front Range zone in Colorado on Christmas Eve, the Colordo Avalanche Information Center said.

The avalanche broke on a layer of faceted snow 1 to 3 feet below the snow surfaces in the northeast-facing slope below the treeline on the southeast end of South Diamond Peak, the avalanche center said in an accident summary. South Diamond Peak is about 131 miles northwest of Denver.

"The avalanche crown was on a convex roll where the slope angle steepened to about 38 degrees," CAIC said.

The CAIC said the man "was caught, buried and killed."

Jackson County and the Diamond Peaks Ski Patrol personnel recovered the unidentified man's body after dark.

The victim's partner located him with a transceiver and probe pole and pulled him out of the snow but he was already dead.

The CAIC posted Avalanche Warnings for most of the Colorado mountains on Thursday when a snowstorm hit the mountains, leaving behind up to two feet of snow in some areas, KUSA-TV reported.

"Be very careful if you are traveling in the mountains over the next few days, CAIC posted on Twitter.

It was the first avalanche death in the state this ski season after 12 fatalities in 2020-21, according to CAIC.