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Two involved in backcountry avalanche near A-Basin

UPDATE at 8:33 p.m.: Representatives with the Arapahoe Basin Ski Patrol and the Summit County Rescue Group managed to rescue a lost snowboarder caught in a small avalanche in the backcountry area near the resort.

John Moser and Patrick Powers of Avon were snowboarding with friends at the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area this afternoon when they got lost and accidentally ventured into the backcountry off of the Montezuma Bowl.

Once the men realized that they were no longer in the resort, they tried to climb their way back up to the peak, spurring a small slide that sent Moser back down the hill. Powers returned to the main lodge where he was able to contact ski patrollers and the rescue group.



Moser, who said he was lost on the back of the mountain for about four-and-a-half hours, managed to climb his way to the peak where ski patrollers found him and returned him to the aid center.

“This was really the ski patrol’s operation,” said Jim Koegel, mission coordinator with the Summit County Rescue Group. “They came in off duty to help us, and this could not have done this well without them.”



Original Story: The Summit County Rescue Group is currently investigating an avalanche in the backcountry near the Arapahoe Basin Ski & Snowboard Area.

Summit County Rescue Group training director Helen Rowe confirmed there was a slide in the area, but said that details are scarce at the moment, and officials aren’t sure of the size or cause of the avalanche. Rowe continued to say that the group “is confident” that nobody was caught in the slide due to the nature of the witness reports.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.


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