Hoping to warn others about the dangers of moose, this weekend a Summit County woman posted on Instagram a video she captured of one charging skiers and snowboarders Saturday at Breckenridge Ski Resort. “You can’t plan for this kind of stuff; you can’t make this stuff up,” said local photographer Lauren “Lo” Drogsvold, who recalled riding up on a moose while making her way down Four O’Clock Run, about half a mile from where the trail splits off to return to the gondola. It was about 2:30 p.m., Drogsvold said. She and her boyfriend were done riding for the day when they came upon a crowd of people clamoring over something. As she came closer to the cluster, she learned what all the fuss was about — a large bull moose standing on the run.    At the back of the pile, she watched as the moose stood for a moment by a resort sign, Drogsvold said, adding that she took out her cell phone to take a picture. After a few seconds, the moose began to approach the crowd.

That’s when Drogsvold hit record on her phone, took her attention away from it and started digging for speed to get away from the moose as fast as she could while yelling at people in front of her to move and move fast.

With her phone still recording, Drogsvold captured only a few seconds of the moose chasing skiers and snowboarders before she dove off the trail and hid behind a nearby tree. She said that no one appeared to suffer any injuries when the moose charged the crowd, but she knows that some of those people in the pack did not react to seeing a moose the right way.  “We’re familiar with the dangers of moose, and I feel like, as a local, it’s our responsibility to try to educate people about moose and keep them safe if we can,” she said, explaining that was her reason for editing the short video clips she got, posting them on social media and then agreeing to talk to the newspaper. “If you see a moose, you don’t walk up to it, you don’t approach it,” she said. “You get the hell away from there and leave them alone.” After posting the video, a handful of people have said they too have been chased by a moose in the same place at Breckenridge Ski Resort, she added.

The video is markedly similar to another one shot in 2017 of a moose sprinting down a run at Breckenridge Ski Resort.

Prodded by Breckenridge Town Council two weeks ago after a separate reported moose encounter at the resort, the resort’s chief operating officer talked about how its staff try to prevent guests from approaching the highly territorial herbivores, who are generally peaceful but can turn aggressive when they feel threatened.

With moose and other wildlife, Colorado Parks and Wildlife stands as the only agency in the state with jurisdiction over them, according to agency spokesman Mike Porras. He added that wildlife officers are the only law enforcement personnel who can make decisions about when to tranquilize and move a moose, and when it is not necessary.  Local police departments and other authorities may lend a hand, he said, adding that wildlife officers work with local officials and ski resorts to provide guidance when its officers cannot quickly respond.  “It could have been really bad,” Drogsvold said of Saturday’s encounter at Breckenridge Ski Resort. “I feel like we all got super lucky.”