Summit County Rescue Group members have been focused on training amid a winter that has seen a slight downtick in the number of calls for services.

Between recent calls for a lost hiker and avalanches that weren’t reported when they were triggered, the team has increased training in preparation for its five-year mountain rescue reaccreditation, according to Summit County Rescue Group President Ben Butler.

“Truthfully we’ve had a rather quiet winter,” Butler said, “which isn’t terrible for us.”

The rescue group typically averages about 40-50 calls within the first three months of the year, but so far this year there have only been a little over 30 calls to 911 requesting search and rescue, Butler said.

On Saturday, March 9, rescuers responded to a call for an individual who became lost and couldn’t get back to the trailhead near the Dillon Reservoir, Butler said. It was later in the day and getting dark, so a small handful of team members went out into the field to locate the lost hiker and guide them back, he said.

“If folks feel like they need help, call for help sooner than later,” Butler said. “Search and rescue in Summit County is free. There is no cost associated with the rescue portion of our services.”

Summit County Rescue Group members have also responded to a number of calls for avalanches that were not reported when they were triggered. Because the rescue group does not know whether someone could be buried in the avalanche, Butler said members will go out to search the debris with a RECCO device, transceivers and a drone.

Even if no one is hurt, anyone that triggers an avalanche in the Colorado backcountry should call 911 to report the slide to dispatch, Butler said. If an avalanche is reported, rescue group members will save time by not having to report to the field, he said.

“To us, it has been really fortunate that no one has been caught in avalanches in Summit County given how touchy the snowpack has been,” Butler said.

Anyone heading out into the Colorado backcountry this time of year should be equipped with the 10 essentials, including extra gear for winter travel, Butler said. A common problem recreationalists encounter is not giving themselves enough time to complete their planned route or starting too late, he said.

Travel and route finding can be more difficult in the winter, especially if snow or wind obscures the trail, Butler said. With avalanche danger ever present in the winter, recreationalists should check the avalanche forecast before heading out and always be aware of the terrain they are accessing including what is above them, he said.

While call volumes have trended slightly below average for this time of year, Butler said a flurry of calls could easily reverse that — especially after the heavy snowfall this week. Avalanche danger in Summit County was considerable to high on Friday.

“With the snow we’ve received over the last couple days and what is forecasted to continue, (our call) numbers could change,” Butler said. “We could come back up to average very, very quickly.”