BC Banter: Avy Closes Independence Pass, Centennial Skiers Complete 100th Descent and Colorado Cancels Summer

Avalanche Temporarily Closes Independence Pass

LAKE COUNTY, COLO. An avalanche occurred just east of the Independence Pass summit on Tuesday, May 26, according to 9News. The slide, which resulted from a cornice fall, closed the road in both directions and was cleared by the Colorado Department of Transportation. On Thursday afternoon, another slide closed the Pass once again in roughly the same location, although the Pass has since reopened to one lane. Loveland Pass also closed for about 30 minutes on Wednesday after a slide measuring 50 feet wide and three feet deep crossed the road.

Centennial Skiers Complete 100th Descent

ASPEN, COLO. Chris Davenport and Christy and Ted Mahon completed their goal of skiing Colorado’s 100 tallest summits, a project they’ve chipped away at for three years, after each skiing all 54 14,000-foot peaks in the Centennial State. On May 21, the trio completed their 99th ski descent on Stewart Peak, a 13,983-foot mountain in the La Garita Range. Their last remaining mountain was Jagged Mountain, 13,824 ft., located in the San Juan Mountains’ Weminuche Wilderness Area. On Tuesday, Davenport checked in from their high camp on Jagged to say they would be skiing the following day, and, on Wednesday evening, he tweeted, “We did it! Skied #100.” Read more about the Centennial Project at centennialskiers.com.

Photo Gallery: Colorado’s Deepest Month

May has been a good month for Colorado, with more than three feet of new snow at higher elevations over the past three weeks. Given their spotty winter, Coloradans are taking full advantage of the spring skiing. “We always seem to have great conditions in the spring here in Colorado,” says Front Range-based photographer Casey Day, “but it’s been years since we’ve had this much snow this late in the season.” See a full photo gallery of the late season here.