Stories in this list received the most page views on SummitDaily.com from March 2-8. 

1. ‘Minefield,’ ‘Tetris,’ ‘Frogger’: Drivers stranded during 9-hour I-70 closure describe mess caused by ‘unprepared’ drivers

Unprepared drivers caused an extended closure on Interstate 70 on Tuesday night, March 4, leaving vehicles stranded for hours on end, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

During the “major closure” state highway officials responded to multiple incidents involving spun-out passenger vehicles, commercial motor vehicles and collided semis, all blocking eastbound I-70 between Silverthorne and the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels, CDOT mountain corridor communications manager Austyn Dineen said in an email.

“When unprepared motorists — both passenger and commercial — fail to take responsibility, closures will continue and likely worsen,” Dineen said in her email. “The bottom line: Drivers must take responsibility for their own safety. If everyone drove cautiously and prepared for conditions, we’d see fewer crashes and major closures.”

On Monday before the storm, transportation department officials, the Colorado State Patrol and the National Weather Service issued warnings about blizzard conditions throughout much of the state. 

Despite the warnings, many motorists failed to adjust their plans and remained unprepared for the conditions Tuesday on the I-70 mountain corridor, Dineen said. Those who are unprepared to drive on Colorado’s mountain roads are “endangering both your life and the lives of others,” she said.

— Ryan Spencer

2. Body of missing snowboarder found on Vail Mountain

The body of missing snowboarder Connor Gill was found on Friday, Feb. 28, Eagle County Coroner Kara Bettis has confirmed.

Gill had been missing since Feb. 14.

Gill was an intermediate snowboarder from the Denver area who went missing in the Chair 2 area of Vail Mountain during extremely snowy conditions.

The mountain received several feet of snow after his disappearance was reported, complicating search efforts.

An exhaustive search of Vail Mountain ensued, led by Vail Ski Patrol and Vail Mountain Rescue.

— John LaConte, Vail Daily

3. I-70 open, but Loveland Pass remains closed

Editor’s note: This story was published on Tuesday, March 4.

 Interstate 70 eastbound is open, however, Loveland Pass is still closed. U.S. Highway 40 was briefly closed in both directions south of Winter Park due to a crash, according to CoTrip.org.

— Summit Daily staff

4. Residents in Summit County share frustrations as USPS fails to provide answers to package delivery issues after contract expires

Colorado mountain residents are reporting that the end of a contract between the U.S. Postal Service and UPS has led to many packages being returned to sender and continued confusion about how to get packages delivered.

The U.S. Postal Service’s contract with UPS SurePost — the company’s economy shipping option — ended at the beginning of January. Summit County residents soon learned, usually because their packages failed to arrive, that the change meant UPS would no longer deliver to P.O. boxes at U.S. post offices.

This has created a dilemma for many Summit County residents, since the U.S. Postal Service won’t deliver packages to most physical addresses. Yet, when shopping online, residents say it’s not easy to tell whether a vendor is sending a package via the U.S. Postal Service, UPS or another delivery company.

— Ryan Spencer

5. Sheriff’s Office helps with search for lost juvenile at ski resort, disputes between roommates and 1-hour avalanche burial, according to weekly log

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office last week responded to an avalanche where a man was buried for more than an hour, more than one dispute between roommates and and missing juvenile skier.

The following incidents occurred between Monday, Feb. 17, and Sunday, Feb. 23, according to the weekly log of notable calls published by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

On Monday, Feb. 17, deputies received a report of an avalanche on Vail Pass in which a man snowmobiling had been buried. The man’s friend was attempting to locate the friend while waiting for the search and rescue team to respond. Deputies and the Summit County Rescue Group responded and the first team into the field observed a small piece of orange fabric sticking out of the snow, which turned out to be the man’s avalanche airbag. Rescuers dug down to the man’s helmet to clear his airways and were able to determine he was still conscious, breathing and able to speak with rescuers. He had been buried for more than an hour. He was dug out and determined to be uninjured but experiencing the initial signs of hypothermia. Once extracted, he was transported to St. Anthony Summit Hospital for treatment.

— Summit Daily staff