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1. Adult son dies while backcountry skiing with father on Peak 10 near Breckenridge Saturday

A man died in an avalanche Saturday, Dec. 31, in a backcountry area called The Numbers, located outside the Breckenridge Ski Resort boundary on Peak 10, according to the Summit County Rescue Group.

A father and his adult son were caught in the avalanche around 1 p.m., with the father partially buried and the son fully buried, the rescue group said in a social media post. The older man was able to dig himself out and had to ski out of the area to get cell phone reception for a 911 call, which he made at 1:40 p.m., the post said.

Rescue efforts began at 2:05 p.m. Breckenridge Ski Resort ski patrol, 23 rescue group members and three members of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit, responded to the incident, according to the post.

— Ryan Spencer

2. After declaring a ‘housing crisis,’ lawmakers in Summit County rolled out a flurry of regulations on short-term rentals in 2022

After the findings of two mammoth studies on housing supply in Summit County and the surrounding region spurred county leaders to declare a “workforce housing crisis” last year, a domino effect of local legislation began. The target of some of those policies: short-term rentals. 

In 2022, licenses for those properties became a dominant part of Summit’s housing conversation as town councils and county commissioners conducted community surveys, listened to hours of public comment and debated between themselves about how to manage housing units frequently owned by non-county residents.

The county now begins 2023 with two short-term rental license caps in effect in the towns of Breckenridge and Frisco and a moratorium on licenses in unincorporated areas of the county — which are outside of any town limits. County commissioners and Silverthorne’s town council also seem poised to pass their own caps, possibly within the next few weeks. 

— Robert Tann

3. Backcountry skier rescued near 10th Mountain Division Huts

A backcountry skier was brought to safety by rescuers and aided by paramedics Thursday night after she became too fatigued to make it to the 10th Mountain Division Huts known as Betty Bear, according to a press release from the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.

The skier, of Fruita, used an SOS feature on her Garmin watch to ask public-safety officials for help, telling them she had food but her water had frozen. Her friends had already made it to the hut, but she was too exhausted to continue, the press release said.

The skier’s updated coordinates showed authorities she was heading back to the trailhead. Shortly after, deputies received a message that a person from the skier’s group was going to look for her.

— Aspen Times

4. Breckenridge Ski Resort offering community first tracks every Friday in January

Breckenridge Ski Resort announced Friday, Dec. 30, that it will invite community members to access the slopes early every Friday in January with a valid pass or day ticket.

Breckenridge Ski Resort says the program was implemented to benefit locals and residents in the Breckenridge community. The resort notes that the Breckenridge community is not defined by geography but rather by a state of mind. The resort invites community members near and far to take advantage of early turns.

Friday first tracks will start at 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 6, Jan. 13, Jan. 20 and Jan. 27. Laps will take place on Peak 9 via the Quicksilver SuperChair to the Mercury SuperChair an hour before the public can access the lifts.

— Cody Jones

5. Snowboarder identified who was killed in avalanche on Berthoud Pass

The snowboarder who was killed Monday in an avalanche on Berthoud Pass has been identified as Brian Bunnell, 44, of Lakewood.

The Grand County Sheriff’s Office said four people were caught in the avalanche, and two were buried. Bystanders and family members were able to rescue one of the buried people, but the other didn’t survive.

The avalanche was on the west side of the pass near Winter Park, according to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.

— 9News