Snowboarder killed in Colorado avalanche in 4th slide death in West this week
This photo provided by Silverton Medical Rescue shows team members responding to a fatal avalanche near Silverton, Colo., Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. Credit: AP/DeAnne Gallegos
SILVERTON, Colo. — A snowboarder was killed in an avalanche in the mountains of southwestern Colorado on Thursday, the fourth person to die in an avalanche in the U.S. West this week after a string of winter storms.
Sarah Steinwand, 41, of Crested Butte, Colorado, was caught in the debris of the avalanche in the backcountry near Silverton, but a man who was skiing with the snowboarder escaped the snow slide, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said. Staff from a nearby backcountry hut noticed the avalanche, alerted rescuers and helped the skier dig Steinwand out of the debris, it said.
Three people died in avalanches Monday — one person near Lake Tahoe in California and two backcountry skiers in Oregon's Cascade Mountains.
The avalanche danger was elevated for most of Colorado's mountains earlier this week but conditions have improved somewhat in some areas.
'Success is zero deaths on the roadway' Newsday reporters spent this year examining the risks on Long Island's roads, where traffic crashes over a decade killed more than 2,100 people and seriously injured more than 16,000. This documentary is a result of that newsroom-wide effort.
'Success is zero deaths on the roadway' Newsday reporters spent this year examining the risks on Long Island's roads, where traffic crashes over a decade killed more than 2,100 people and seriously injured more than 16,000. This documentary is a result of that newsroom-wide effort.
