Wife discovers husband buried in avalanche on remote trail with transceiver.

An avalanche on Red Mountain Pass in Colorado left a skier buried for hours before his body was discovered.

Under the snow, a Colorado woman searched for her husband who was buried by an avalanche and never checked in as planned.

On January 7th, 57-year-old veteran skier Donald Moden Jr., a former member of the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team, tragically lost his life in the "Bollywood" area of Red Mountain Pass, according to the Ouray County Plaindealer.

According to a report by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), the 57-year-old was likely buried for more than four hours before he was discovered.

The avalanche was 400 feet wide and traveled 800 feet vertically, the agency stated.

Donald Moden Jr., 57, was buried by an avalanche in Ouray County, Colorado on Jan. 7. He was likely buried in snow for four hours before he was found dead, per the California Avalanche Information Center. — Donald Moden Jr., 57, was buried by an avalanche in Ouray County, Colorado on Jan. 7. He was likely buried in snow for four hours before he was found dead, according to the California Avalanche Information Center. (Facebook)

When her husband failed to arrive at the planned meeting point, Moden's wife contacted the Ouray County Sheriff's Office and went to the trailhead herself. She activated her avalanche transceiver and received a response from her husband's device. She quickly located him with an avalanche probe and called out to nearby skiers for assistance, according to the Colorado Sun.

The outlet reported that Moden was wearing an avalanche airbag backpack that failed to deploy, in addition to his transceiver.

Pictured is an aerial image of the accident site. Donald Moden Jr. began his descent at the yellow circle, and was found buried at the red X, according to the CAIC. — Pictured is an aerial image of the accident site. Moden's descent began at the yellow circle, and he was found buried at the red X, according to the CAIC. (California Avalanche Information Center)

The CAIC stated that he was skiing downhill and was engulfed by a snowslide during his seventh run of the day. Unfortunately, he was buried too deeply to rescue himself.

"The report stated that he had skied on Red Mountain Pass for 16 years and was well-versed in the terrain of Red Number 3. He selected his terrain for the day based on his prior knowledge of the slope and the snowpack."

The head and toe of the Ouray County avalanche that killed Moden are right and left, respectively. (CAIC)

The CAIC stated that Modern likely did not notice any signs of hazardous snowpack on an adjacent slope where he skied the previous day.

This ski season, the first reported avalanche fatality in Colorado occurred when Moden died. Since Nov. 9, the CAIC has reported 25 backcountry skiiers and travelers caught in 23 different avalanches.

The Colorado Sun reports that the number of victims buried in snow and debris is not significantly higher than in previous seasons, with seven victims being entombed in such conditions.

by Christina Coulter 1/16/2025, 3:37:59 PM

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