Mark Staples
Director, Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center
This winter has been particularly deadly. To put it in perspective, we wanted to share this email that was sent to all U.S. Avalanche Centers from Dale Atkins, long time avalanche forecaster, educator, & researcher in Colorado.
A disturbing and phenomenal, yet sad month — don’t know how else to describe it — with avalanche conditions unlikely to change in the near term and peoples’ behaviors unlikely to change for a long time.
If avalanche fatalities were to follow the monthly averages for the rest of the season, here is what the 30-year averages suggest:
February: ~1.5 fatalities per week (obviously that has been turned on it’s head this month)
March: 4.4
April: 3.0
May: 0.8
June: 0.8
July: 0.1
If the averages are matched, the US will hit 40 deaths in a year for the first time since 1925-26 (42).
The winter of ’95-96 was the first time the count hit 30 since 1925-26. Since ’95-96 the count has tallied 30 or higher another 10 times.
1995-96: 30
2002-03: 30
2015-16: 30
2020-21: 31
1998-99: 32
2000-01: 33
2011-12: 34
2001-02: 35
2013-14: 35
2007-08: 36
2009-10: 36
To review avalanche fatalities since 2009-2010, visit avalanche.org. Thanks to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center and the American Avalanche Association for maintaining these records.