2/12/2008
Colorado Department of Transportation officials now believe Colorado Highway 14 near Cameron Pass may be closed for three to four days after an avalanche buried a section of the highway with up to 4 feet of snow.
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/UPDATES01/80212026
CDOT officials believe the slide happened sometime Monday night. It was first reported at 8:30 a.m. today. No one was hurt in the slide, which took place on the south side of Diamond Peaks, near the Nokhu Crags scenic overlook.
CDOT crews will use explosive charges to bring down the remaining snow. However, they are unsure if those charges will be placed by hand or if a helicopter will be needed to drop the charges in strategic places. CDOT considers the highway between Fort Collins and Walden a low priority when it comes to clearing avalanche debris because of the low volume of travel relative to other areas.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has reported more than 2,200 avalanches statewide this season, which is nearly as many as an entire year.
Another avalanche nearly in the same area Thursday buried the highway with about 4 feet of snow. The site is about 60 miles west of Fort Collins.
Local traffic is allowed up the Poudre Canyon but gates are in place to block the highway east of Cameron Pass, which is a popular backcountry area.
Erin Elliott, visitor service representative at the Moose Visitor Center in Gould, told the Coloradoan this morning that the area received at least 10 inches of snow Monday night and 40 inches of snow are on the ground at the visitor center.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center upgraded the avalanche conditions to high today in the northern mountains, which includes the Cameron Pass area and Rocky Mountain National Park. The category means natural and human-triggered avalanches are likely.
Ethan Greene, director of the CAIC, told the Coloradoan that avalanches reach the highway in that area every couple of years. He warned backcountry recreationists to be extra careful if heading to the area once it is open.
Colorado Department of Transportation officials now believe Colorado Highway 14 near Cameron Pass may be closed for three to four days after an avalanche buried a section of the highway with up to 4 feet of snow.
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080212/UPDATES01/80212026
CDOT officials believe the slide happened sometime Monday night. It was first reported at 8:30 a.m. today. No one was hurt in the slide, which took place on the south side of Diamond Peaks, near the Nokhu Crags scenic overlook.
CDOT crews will use explosive charges to bring down the remaining snow. However, they are unsure if those charges will be placed by hand or if a helicopter will be needed to drop the charges in strategic places. CDOT considers the highway between Fort Collins and Walden a low priority when it comes to clearing avalanche debris because of the low volume of travel relative to other areas.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has reported more than 2,200 avalanches statewide this season, which is nearly as many as an entire year.
Another avalanche nearly in the same area Thursday buried the highway with about 4 feet of snow. The site is about 60 miles west of Fort Collins.
Local traffic is allowed up the Poudre Canyon but gates are in place to block the highway east of Cameron Pass, which is a popular backcountry area.
Erin Elliott, visitor service representative at the Moose Visitor Center in Gould, told the Coloradoan this morning that the area received at least 10 inches of snow Monday night and 40 inches of snow are on the ground at the visitor center.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center upgraded the avalanche conditions to high today in the northern mountains, which includes the Cameron Pass area and Rocky Mountain National Park. The category means natural and human-triggered avalanches are likely.
Ethan Greene, director of the CAIC, told the Coloradoan that avalanches reach the highway in that area every couple of years. He warned backcountry recreationists to be extra careful if heading to the area once it is open.
