Loveland

The end of my first season in Colorado is finally here. After an exciting bonus weekend at Vail Mountain, winter is officially over (now if the weather would only cooperate!). Marc and I drove through Loveland Pass on our way to Boulder from Vail the other day. Do you agree that it's just gorgeous? Yet the beauty of the Rocky Mountains is a cold and unforgiving one...

What was on my mind as we rode along the spine of the Continental Divide, at an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet, with no guard rails? This is a land of breathtaking panoramas, yes, but also of hairpin turns, steep grades, and avalanche territory.

On Saturday, five snowboarders* were killed in an avalanche while skiing the Loveland backcountry. The avalanche was massive: 600 feet wide and 1200 feet long, advancing at 50-60mph. According to the ABC News Blog, "The five deceased snowboarders, all in their 30s, were trapped under about eight feet of snow in what is being called Colorado’s deadliest avalanche in 50 years." The Colorado Avalanche Information Center reports 19 deaths this season. My heart goes out to the lost ones and their families. Once again it is made apparent, as it so frequently is in Colorado, that if you want the greatest thrills, you have to take the greatest risks, and ultimately be prepared to make the greatest sacrifice.

*Later reports identified four snowboarders and one skier.