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Colorado Forecasters Issue Special May Avalanche Warning

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated May 8, 2025 2:03 PM ET

A round of late-season snowfall has blanketed Colorado’s mountains, creating powder skiing conditions at ski resorts like Arapahoe Basin, and prompting the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) to issue a Special Avalanche Advisory that warns of storm slab and and loose wet avalanches through the end of Thursday afternoon in the Pikes Peak, the Sangre de Cristo Range, and southeastern San Juan Mountains forecast area.

“This Mayuary weather will transition back to more ‘normal’ spring weather on Thursday,” the CAIC wrote in a recent social media post. “But that’s not a green light.”

The arrival of changing weather on Thursday will cause “rapid change” in the snowpack, the CAIC forecast for Pikes Peak, the Sangre de Cristo Range, and the southeastern San Juan Mountains reads, quickly shifting the risk from dry storm slabs to loose wet avalanches.

The latter form of avalanche “may not break as wide,” the CAIC wrote in its forecast, “but they could carry more destructive force down steep, confined terrain and leave you few options to escape.”

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According to the CAIC, skiers will need to prepare for both dry and wet avalanches depending on where they travel in the backcountry.

Across the areas highlighted by the Special Avalanche Advisory, CAIC forecasts “considerable” avalanche danger near and above treeline, indicating that dangerous avalanche conditions exist and human-triggered slides are likely.

The CAIC anticipates that the avalanche danger will decline to “moderate” on Friday in the Pikes Peak, Sangre de Cristo Range, and southeastern San Juan Mountains forecast area.

Only a few ski resorts are still operating in Colorado as the end of the lift-accessed season approaches.

Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, and Loveland all plan to close this coming weekend following one final day of riding on May 11. Winter Park, according to its website, will keep the Mary Jane and Parssen Bowl portions of its slopes open “as late as possible,” or ALAP.

Arapahoe Basin, which is known for hosting the state’s longest skiing and riding season, also intends to remain open as long as possible. Last year, the ski resort kept its lifts spinning until June 16.

With dwindling inbounds options available, skiers may be more inclined to venture into the backcountry. But even as spring arrives, they'll need to remain cognizant of the avalanche danger.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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