Male skier, female snowboarder dig selves out of avalanche; dog killed
By Logan Smith
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CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colorado (KCNC) — A male skier triggered an avalanche while he and a female snowboarder and their dog were in the backcountry Thursday afternoon. The slide partially buried both people. The dog has not been found.
An incident report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center stated the male skier was above the female snowboarder at treeline on a northeastern slope of 12,208-foot Mt. Peck. Mt. Peck is about two miles southeast of the Monarch Ski Area.
The male skier triggered the avalanche at about 4 p.m. He was able to deploy his airbag, the CAIC reported. But the female snowboarder was unable to deploy her airbag. She was unable to breath when the snow settled, the CAIC stated.
The male, who was able to dig himself out, found the female and pulled her from the avalanche debris. Both were uninjured and hiked out of the area.
Their dog has not been found, though, and is believed to have been buried and killed.
Mt. Peck lies on the Continental Divide and the boundary between Chaffee and Gunnison counties. It is part of the Sawatch Range and reachable on foot from Monarch Pass.
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