Avalanche kills Colorado doctor snowboarding in backcountry in state’s first death of season

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A Colorado doctor was killed in an avalanche on Monday while snowboarding in the backcountry, becoming the state’s first recorded avalanche victim this season, according to officials.

Peter Harrelson, a 67-year-old doctor and longtime resident of Ophir, had set out around noon on a backcountry trip in the Waterfall Creek area south of his hometown near Telluride, the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities were alerted around 7:40 p.m. that Harrelson had not yet returned from his trip in the San Miguel Mountains and launched a search and rescue operation for the overdue doctor.

Harrelson’s friends and family followed his tracks that night but were unable to find him, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) said in a preliminary report.

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Search and rescue teams found Harrelson’s body on Tuesday morning. (San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office )

Crews resumed the search on Tuesday morning, using air resources and bombing mitigation to insert a team of rescuers into the mountainous backcountry, the sheriff’s office said.

Teams searched for Harrelson in the Waterfall Creek area in the San Miguel Mountains south of Telluride. (San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office )

The body of Harrelson was discovered early that morning with traumatic injuries believed to be from getting swept away in an avalanche.

Harrelson appeared to have suffered traumatic injuries after getting caught in the avalanche. (San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office )

“On behalf of all of us at the Sheriff’s Office and our search and rescue team, I would like to express our condolences to the family and friends of this gentleman,” Sheriff Bill Masters said. “I’d also like to thank our SAR team for their work in this inherently risky mission.”

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The avalanche occurred at an elevation of 10,500 feet on a northwest aspect below tree line, CAIC said.

The search effort included ground teams and a helicopter. (San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office )

Harrelson was carried 200 to 300 feet in the avalanche and was able to dig himself out, San Miguel County Coroner Emil Sante told the Montrose Daily Press. Sante said the doctor appeared to have hiked another 200 to 300 feet before lying down and dying under some trees.

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Harrelson’s death is the first recorded avalanche death in Colorado this season, according to the agency. Last season, there were 11 avalanche fatalities in the state.