On Saturday morning, Colorado's Silverton Mountain Ski Area announced on Facebook that the resort had woken up to more than seven inches of fresh snow dropped by an overnight storm. The following morning, the first skier-triggered avalanche of the season was reported on the mountain, almost a year to the day from the first such slide reported last year.
Though the lifts won't be spinning at most resorts for a few more weeks, the early season conditions have been promising enough that some over-eager backcountry skiers couldn't resist pulling their ski pants on and heading out. According to a field report by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, two skiers had skinned up a north-facing ridge in Grassy Bowl on Sunday and were skiing down when the downhill skier saw a crack appear and moving snow.
