####018002271#### WWUS85 KBOU 171333 SABCO COZ004-010-012-013-017>019-031-033-034-058-060-061-066-068-082- 200545- SPECIAL AVALANCHE BULLETIN COLORADO AVALANCHE INFORMATION CENTER RELAYED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO 633 AM MST FRI FEB 17 2012 THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE COLORADO AVALANCHE INFORMATION CENTER. THE COLORADO AVALANCHE INFORMATION CENTER IS ISSUING A SPECIAL AVALANCHE BULLETIN FOR A LARGE PORTION OF THE COLORADO MOUNTAINS. THESE AREAS INCLUDE THE PARK RANGE...FRONT RANGE...SUMMIT COUNTY...VAIL...ELK AND WEST ELK MOUNTAINS...RUBY RANGE...SAWATCH RANGE...MOSQUITO...NORTHERN SAN JUAN...SOUTH SAN JUAN ...UNCOMPAHGRE PLATEAU...DALLAS DIVIDE. DO NOT LET THE NICE WEATHER ON FRIDAY AND INTO THE WEEKEND FOOL YOU INTO THINKING AVALANCHE CONDITIONS ARE ANYTHING BUT VERY SERIOUS IN THE BACKCOUNTRY OF COLORADO. TWO AVALANCHE FATALITIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED SINCE FEBRUARY 13, BRINGING AVALANCHE FATATLIES IN COLORADO THIS SEASON TO 6. TWO SEPERATE HUMAN TRIGGERED AVALANCHES NEAR VAIL PASS CAUGHT AND SERIOUSLY INJURED TWO PEOPLE THIS WEEK. VERY LARGE AVALANCHES HAVE BEEN REPORTED FROM THE BACKCOUNTRY AROUND TELLURIDE AND SILVERTON. WE EXPECT THE AVALANCHE DANGER TO REMAIN ELEVATED THROUGH THE COMING WEEKEND. HUMAN TRIGGERED AVALANCHES REMAIN LIKELY. EVEN SMALL AVALANCHES CAN KILL YOU, BUT TRIGGERED AVALANCHES ARE LARGER THAN THEY WERE LAST WEEK. YOU CAN TRIGGER AVALANCHES REMOTELY AND FROM LOW ANGLE TERRAIN BELOW STEEP SLOPES. VERY CAREFUL ROUTE FINDING IS ESSENTIAL. BACKCOUNTRY TRAVELERS SHOULD AVOID TRAVELING ON OR UNDER SLOPES STEEPER THAN 30 DEGREES. THESE CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THIS STATEMENT IS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO PERSONS USING THE BACKCOUNTRY OUTSIDE DEVELOPED SKI AREA BOUNDARIES. FOR ADDITIONAL AVALANCHE INFORMATION...CALL...970-482-0457 IN FORT COLLINS...719-520-0020 IN COLORADO SPRINGS...970-668-0600 IN SUMMIT COUNTY...719-395-4994 IN BUENA VISTA...970-247-8187 IN DURANGO... 970-920-1664 IN ASPEN...303-275-5360 IN DENVER. OR VISIT OUR WEB PAGE AT COLORADO.GOV/AVALANCHE TOEPFER COLORADO AVALANCHE INFORMATION CENTER 2011-12 BULLETIN 2-1 $$