Cascade homeowner ‘shocked’ by avalanche off Pikes Peak
courtesy of Sharon Reusser
The security camera of a vacation cabin in Cascade captures what appears to be a series of three small avalanches sliding from a nearby mountain. The home is situated along Fountain Creek near the base of Pikes Peak. (Video courtesy of Sharon Reusser)
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When Sharon Reusser woke up and checked the home security camera of her vacation cabin in Cascade, she was shocked to see the deck of the home covered in more than 2 feet of snow.
What she saw when she checked the tapes from overnight Wednesday shocked her further — a series of three small avalanches sliding from a nearby mountain onto her cabin.
Situated near the base of Pikes Peak along Fountain Creek in Cascade, Reusser said she and her family have never before seen anything like what she saw on the recordings.
“We were shocked to see the video, and glad we weren’t at the cabin,” Reusser said.
“It’s a vacation home so we aren’t always there but we have owned it since 2006 and have never seen anything like that before.”
The security camera of a vacation cabin in Cascade captures what appears to be a series of three small avalanches sliding from a nearby mountain. The home is situated along Fountain Creek near the base of Pikes Peak. (Video courtesy of Sharon Reusser)
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Following the record-breaking snowfall that dumped more than 2 feet of snow in many areas surrounding Colorado Springs, an avalanche warning remained in place on Pikes Peak until 4:30 p.m. Friday.
According to Rebecca Hodgetts, the Regional Lead Forecaster of Southern Colorado Mountains for the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, avalanche warnings on Pikes Peak are rare, but not completely out of the ordinary.
“Any mountainous area in Colorado has a propensity for avalanches,” Hodgetts said. “Pikes Peak is a generally shallow area — it gets a lot of wind but it doesn’t get a lot of snow.”
Hodgetts said an avalanche warning is issued when at least two elevation bands carry a likelihood of an avalanche.
“Right now, all elevation bands are in high danger,” Hodgettes said.
Snow piled on the top of Pikes Peak.
On Friday, the CAIC map showed much of the Front Range — from the Wyoming border in the north to the New Mexico border in the south — under elevate risk for avalanches
Manager of Pikes Peak, Americas Mountain, Skyler Rorabaugh said the local 14er received more snow from this week’s storm than some long-term employees have ever seen, estimating the mountain got between 4 and 5 feet of snow toward the summit.
The base of the mountain received roughly 3 feet of snow as of Friday morning.
“We have a supervisor who’s been here for over 20 years and can’t remember seeing this much snow at this low of elevation,” Rorabaugh said. “There’s an unbelievable amount of snow, up there, really.”
Avalanches on Pikes Peak are a rare occurrence. On Feb. 7, the mountain received its first avalanche since 2007 above Glenn Cove on an area of the mountain informally known as George’s Corner.
Rorabaugh said although the chances of an avalanche decrease following one that happens previously in the season, if an avalanche were to occur in the same area twice the impact would be greater.
“We lost a lot of woods and rock (in the Feb. 7 avalanche) but didn’t sustain any real damage to the roads or infrastructure,” Rorabaugh said.
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“When one lets go, it’s a lower percentage it will happen again, but if it does let go again it will fly further and quicker.”
Rorabaugh said avalanche experts have come out to Pikes Peak frequently since the Feb. 7 avalanche to educate the staff and assess the mountain’s status and hazardous zones.
“I think there’s going to be even more attention paid (to the mountain) after this storm,” Rorabaugh said.
The road to the summit was closed Friday. Rorabaugh said it may take up to a week to fully mitigate the impact of this week’s storm along Pikes Peak Highway.
The backcountry remains open to the public, including ice climbers and skiers. Rorabaugh said rangers and snow removal crews are on a full callout to safely mitigate roadways and speak with those wishing to recreate amid the current conditions.
“We just hope everyone’s well prepared as we do our best to educate the public on the risks,” Rorabaugh said.
