Unusual weather and shallow snowpack have triggered a rash of early slides across the West, sweeping multiple skiers into rocky terrain. Safety officials warn that the slopes with the deepest snow often carry the most severe danger.
Early-season snow blankets the San Juan Mountains above 11,000 feet in southwestern Colorado, where unusually warm, wet storms have contributed to avalanche activity this fall. (Photo: Colorado Avalanche Information Center)
Published November 6, 2026 03:10PM
A skier was swept an estimated 500 feet down a mountainside near Silverton, Colorado, on November 3 and partially buried before his partner dug him out. The skier, whose name and age are unknown, was unharmed, according to professional skiier and filmmaker Colter Hinchliffe, who captured the entire ordeal on video.
The incident is among several early-season avalanche close calls in the Mountain West so far in 2026. Each serves as a reminder that even when snow cover is thin, slide danger can still be massive.
On October 25, a skier triggered a wind-slab avalanche on Colorado’s Mount Bross that buried them facedown before companions dug them out. On November 1, skiers near Alta, Utah, triggered multiple wet-snow slides that ran over a cliff and reached a service road, according to an observation submitted to the Utah Avalanche Center.
As of November 6, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) recorded nearly 100 avalanches statewide, including 15 triggered by skiers, Brian Lazar, CAIC deputy director, told Outside.
“That amount of avalanches at this time of year is not that unusual,” Lazar said. “We’re in avalanche season, even though the snowpack is still developing, and it’s important to acknowledge that, even when there’s a lot of dry ground showing.”
Early-Season Avalanches Are Already Catching Skiers
Hinchliffe said heavy early snowfall has made the San Juan Mountains an especially popular destination for early-season skiers.
“A lot of people in the mountains means a lot of decisions are being made, and some of them can go wrong,” Hinchliffe told Outside. “That’s kind of what we saw.”
The weather has also contributed to unstable snow conditions across Colorado, Lazar said. Two recent warm, particularly wet storms brought rain to elevations above 12,000 feet in parts of southwestern Colorado, triggering wet avalanches. Between storms, dry periods allowed weak layers of snow to develop on the snow surface, which fresh snowfall later buried.
Why Early-Season Snow Can Be Dangerous
Lazar warned that early-season avalanches can be dangerous even when they’re relatively small, particularly with so little snow covering the terrain.
“Even if you get knocked off your feet and take a short ride in a small avalanche, it might not be big enough to bury or kill you, but it can drag you across rocks, logs, stumps, and things like that,” Lazar said. “Early-season conditions can produce some really nasty rides, even in small avalanches.”
Shallow snow can also lead skiers into more dangerous terrain.
“If you’re going out looking to ride on snow, you are naturally drawn to the places with the best coverage, and those are the same places that often have the most dangerous avalanche conditions,” Lazar said.
Before heading out, Lazar recommends checking the local avalanche forecast, carrying a transceiver, shovel, and probe, and traveling with partners who know how to use them. He also emphasized the importance of avalanche education and regular rescue practice.
Hinchliffe said he and his touring partner had deliberately agreed to take a conservative approach that morning, sticking to mellower terrain rather than testing steeper slopes.
“At this point, I’ve got the whole season laid out in front of me,” he said. ” So when I ski in the early season, I try to be very cautious with my choices.”
