Two men died after an avalanche struck them while riding their snowmobiles in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado on Saturday, January 7.
According to the Colorado Avalanche Center, the pair were enjoying their afternoon when the deadly avalanche hit them on Mount Epworth in Grand County, a few miles from Winter Park.
Local law enforcement, search and rescue crews, members of the ski patrol and locals found one of the victims, later identified as 58-year-old Bruce DeJong, a Northern Colorado native, immediately after the avalanche was reported at around 2:15 pm. The Grand County Sheriff’s Office found him buried in the snow.
A statement released by the Sheriff’s Office revealed that they could not revive him, and DeJong was pronounced dead at the scene. Responding officers and search crews could not immediately locate the second victim, and the teams had to stop the search and rescue operations because the weather was bad.
The rescue team included people from the Sheriff’s Office, the EMS Mountain Response team from Grand County, the Grand County Search and Rescue Team members, Flight for Life, Winter Park Ski patrol, and the Avalanche Center.
They all resumed their search on Sunday and discovered the second victim’s body, whom the Grand County Coroner’s Office identified as 52-year-old Darrin Kaderka, just before 11 am, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said that the second victim was not using an avalanche transceiver, which made it harder for rescuers to find and recover his body. They found him buried under 18 inches of snow near his snowmobile.
Unlike the younger victim, DeJong was using his transceiver, according to the Avalanche Center, which made finding him easier and quicker. An avalanche transceiver is meant to transmit the location of ski mountain visitors who might be buried or lost.
The National Weather Service reported that the area would experience temperatures below 30 degrees during the day, dipping to single digits overnight.
Saturday’s tragic avalanche brings the number of people killed in avalanches in Colorado since December 26 to four and is the second fatal avalanche experienced in Grand County this season, according to Grand County Sheriff Brett Schroetlin.
The Sheriff advised people visiting the county for recreational activities to monitor the weather conditions and follow the advice from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
On December 31, a father and a son were skiing when an avalanche hit them near a ski resort about 65 miles from Winter Park.
Luckily, the father was able to save himself by digging his way out of the snow, but the avalanche buried his son, whose body was recovered two hours later.
On December 26, a snowboarder unintentionally triggered an avalanche near Berthoud Pass, about 55 miles from Denver, and it struck four backcountry riders. The avalanche buried two of them, and one died.
According to the Avalanche Center, the four dead since December 26 included a father and his sons. The father was later identified as 44-year-old Brian Bunnell.
Avalanches can hit areas that many skiers prefer, and both fatal avalanches in December struck areas that were relatively easy to access.
According to the Avalanche Center, seven people died after getting caught in avalanches during the 2021-2022 season.
