In-bounds controlled slide on Breckenridge’s Peak 7 highlights importance of snow safety work amid challenging snowpack

 #breckenridge #realestate #colorado

Although it may seem like the in-bounds terrain at ski areas is completely safe from avalanches, the reality is that ski patrollers put their lives on the line in order to mitigate avalanche risks and ensure a safe experience for guests.

With a challenging snowpack this winter season, Breckenridge Ski Resort’s avalanche mitigation work resulted in a significant ski-patrol-triggered slide on Peak 7 on Friday, Jan. 19. It was triggered using a hand charge that sent snow across most of the avalanche slide zones located under the summit of Peak 7.

Breckenridge ski patrol director Hunter Mortensen believes the avalanche charge was placed in the south summit snowfield or the north summit snowfield before tons of snow slid down the mountain.

Every day, Breckenridge ski patrol is faced with the high-stakes job of making sure that all of the known terrain zones in need of mitigation are safe and stable for the public to ski and ride. Ski patrol has these areas mapped across a massive, but colorful, Breckenridge terrain atlas that hangs inside the ski patrol headquarters within the lower level of Vista Haus on Peak 8.

“No ski run at Breck or anywhere I can think of is worth getting caught in an avalanche for,” Mortensen said. “For us, our job is that as soon as we put you on it, we feel as good as we possibly can. In a year like this, it means we step way back.”

For the complete story click here