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Winter Dangers: Water and Avalanches
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Water can be beautiful in mountain areas, especially during the winter when it’s iced or partially iced over. But, waterways can be dangerous.
Never venture out onto streams, lakes or rivers even if they looked completely frozen. Fast moving water can be right underneath the surface. Hypothermia can set in quickly, and help can be far away. You should always bring your own bottled water when hiking in the high country. But, if you must drink from a waterway, boil water for five minutes to remove impurities from water.
Snow can also be extremely dangerous in Rocky Mountain National Park. Skiing on clearings or under cornices can lead to avalanches. Always bring an electronic transceiver, snow probes, ski poles, shovels that can be folded up and put into backpacks and rope. This way, if an avalanche does happen, you will have a way to dig yourself our or at least let someone know where you are.
If an avalanche does happen, try swimming along with the snow and try to stay on top of it. Stay calm, and don’t panic. You should look into taking an avalanche training course if you do plan on skiing in the back country.
