Big avalanche hits road to Colorado ski resort
Source: Reuters
(Adds details on highway, snow conditions) By Keith Coffman DENVER, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A large avalanche swept over a major highway leading to the Colorado ski resort of Winter Park on Saturday, burying some cars and injuring one person, state authorities said. The snowslide was 200 feet (62 metres) wide and 15 feet (4.5 metres) deep along U.S. Highway 40, about 60 miles (100 km) west of Denver. "Our preliminary reports indicate that the slide covered all three lanes of the roadway and two cars were covered and pushed off the road," said Bob Wilson, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Transportation. "Our crews are saying it is the largest slide they have ever seen." The highway will stay closed pending an aerial inspection of the surrounding area and the blasting of danger spots to bring snow down, said Colorado State Patrol trooper Eric Wynn. Colorado has been hit by three major snowstorms in the last few weeks. Winter Park, one of state's largest ski areas, reported 10 inches (25 cm) of fresh snow in the past 48 hours. The mid-morning avalanche at the 11,000-foot (3,350-metre) Berthoud Pass came after the bulk of skier traffic had passed. Seven people were taken to hospital by ambulance but only one had sustained injuries, which were not life threatening. "As far as we know, everyone has been pulled out," Wilson said, adding search teams continued to dig through the snow. The area of the avalanche is called Stanley Slide and is prone to snow slides down its three chutes. "We had just done some mitigation work on it Tuesday, so we're a little surprised so much snow came down," Wilson said. The recent snowfall was light and powdery, which experts said was great for skiing but bad for sticking to older snow. More snow was forecast for Saturday night. Winter Park is a favorite destination for Denver skiers who come up for the day. It lacks the big hotel infrastructure of other, more distant resorts like Aspen or Vail. A back road was still open for skiers leaving Winter Park for Denver on Saturday, adding a few hours to the journey.
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