Veteran Skier's Death in Colorado Avalanche Linked to Fragile Snowpack

Donald Moden Jr., a former rescue team member with 16 years of experience, was buried under three feet of snow after triggering an avalanche in the San Juan Mountains.

Donald Moden Jr., a 57-year-old experienced skier and former member of the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team, was killed in an avalanche on January 7, 2025, in the San Juan Mountains near Red Mountain Pass.
The avalanche, classified as a D2 slide, was triggered by Moden while descending on his seventh run of the day; it was 800 feet wide and traveled 400 vertical feet.
His wife, concerned after he failed to check in, located his body using an avalanche transceiver and probe with assistance from other skiers and rescue team members.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) attributed the incident to a fragile snowpack created by an unusually snowy November, a dry December, and heavy storms in late December and early January.
Despite wearing an avalanche airbag backpack, Moden's device did not deploy, and he was buried too deeply to self-rescue, having been under the snow for over four hours before recovery.