The 10-mile canyon rec path in Summit County on June 10. The rec path was buried beneath debris from 23 different avalanches which occurred in March of 2019. (Photo: John LaConte)
Over 2-week period in March of 2019, Colorado saw the worst series of avalanche cycles on record in the state's history. John LaConte with the Vail Daily interviews Brian Lazar with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center about what on Earth happened to cause all that chaos. The conversation continues with a discussion on climate science and its implications on larger avalanche cycles.
There’s a bit of a misconception that the historic avalanche cycles Colorado saw in March were due, simply, to high snowfall totals across the state. Lazar points out that in many places in Colorado, snow totals were quite average, but strong snowpack, followed by “wet, juicy storms,” (consistent with what climate scientists predict we will see more of in the coming years,) was most to blame for the catastrophic crown-to-creek slides across the state.
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