While rare, avalanches can happen. An expert from Taos explains how to stay safe.

TAOS — Darien Fernandez was riding up Taos Ski Valley's Lift 4 to meet his older brother on Jan. 17, 2019, when he came across a sight he'd previously only encountered outside the bounds of a ski resort: an avalanche runout zone.

From a run nearby, his older brother, ski instructor Todd Gravelle, had seen the slab of a cornice break in one of several steep chutes angling down the summit, burying at least one skier he'd spotted struggling to stay above the snowpack.

Having lost their older brother in an avalanche in the Colorado backcountry in 1987, Fernandez and Gravelle both knew that time was of the essence — finding someone buried in the runout zone, which spanned about the size of a football field, would have to happen within a 15-minute window before they would likely asphyxiate, Fernandez said.

Fernandez and Gravelle were among dozens of skiers and snowboarders who assisted Taos Ski Patrol that day in the search for two skiers buried in the avalanche, 26-year-old Matthew Zonghetti of Massachusetts and 22-year-old Corey Borg-Massanari of Colorado. Both skiers died of their injuries after being transported to hospitals.

"We didn't know at the time how many people could have been buried," Fernandez recalls. "Later, it turned out to be two, but in that situation, because it was inbounds, not a lot of folks are going to be carrying a beacon or a shovel or a probe with them. They think the inbounds nature of it makes it inherently safer."

Inbounds avalanches, or those that occur inside the ropes of a ski resort like Taos Ski Valley, are rare, according to a 2023 study by the International Snow Science Workshop.

But Fernandez, a former volunteer firefighter with Taos Ski Valley who teaches avalanche and wilderness first aid training for Base Medical, says the odds of avalanches everywhere are higher this year due to a seesawing weather pattern characterized by heavy snowstorms interspersed with extended periods of warm weather.

"We're seeing a quite deadly avalanche cycle across the West," he said.

A total of 19 people have been killed in avalanches across the West since December, according to avalanche.org, with the deadliest incident so far this season killing nine backcountry skiers near Castle Peak, Lake Tahoe, this month.

But the Western U.S. isn't the only region that's been affected by this dangerous winter weather pattern, which Fernandez says is being driven by climate change.

At least 99 people have died due to avalanches in European mountain ranges this year, primarily in the Alps, which interconnect France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria, a region where about 100 people on average die due to these natural events annually, according to European Avalanche Warning Services.

Avalanches tend to occur on steep terrain, between a 30- and 45-degree angle, when a layer of heavy snow accumulates rapidly on weak layers below, overloading those weak layers and causing snow to slide.

"The biggest concern for avalanches that injure or endanger people comes from slab avalanches," Andy Bond, director of Taos Avalanche Center, said. "A slab is basically a cohesive layer of snow, typically from continued storms. When a slab or slabs form on top of weak faceted depth hoar, snow is going to be driving avalanche concerns with future storms."

While avalanches are far more common in the backcountry, Fernandez knows firsthand that resorts with more advanced, rugged terrain can also be dangerous, even when accounting for mitigation work ski patrol teams perform to reduce the odds of an avalanche before lifts start turning.

Even snowshoers or cross-country skiers should remain mindful of traveling routes underneath potential avalanche paths on slopes above them.

"With climate change, we're seeing these more infrequent storm cycles," he said, "and when it does come in, it comes in hot and heavy, and it's making the snow pack a bit touchier. And of course, like for those of us who are powder hounds, the minute we see the forecast and we see like 6 inches of snow or a foot of snow on the way, we get stoked, and we want to rush out there."

If caught in an avalanche, he said skiers and snowboarders should gain as much speed as possible and attempt to veer out of its path. If swept up in an avalanche, he says to "swim like hell" and try to create an air pocket around the face to allow breathing room until rescuers arrive.

"You're doing that in what feels like setting concrete," he cautioned. "So it's going to be tough."

Remaining calm is key to survival and rescue efforts, he emphasized.

"You want to think about something that's going to keep you calm so that you're not expending more air than you need to," he said. "And that's easier said than done, because it's a scary thing."

He recommends always a carrying a beacon, or a radio device that transmits a signal rescuers can use to find people buried in an avalanche; a probe, or a long collapsible rod used to quickly locate a person; and an aluminum snow shovel when skiing advanced terrain inside a ski resort or in the backcountry.

A cellphone can also prove to be life-saving in an avalanche or other outdoor disaster. Six of the skiers who survived the avalanche near Lake Tahoe this month used Apple's SOS function to transmit an emergency signal via satellite, allowing them to call for help outside of cellphone range.

For those who spend prolonged periods in wilderness areas, Fernandez says a GPS device, like a Garmin, can also be well worth the investment.

"In this day and age, if you're going out you don't have one of these," he says. "You got to get with the program, because those things are life savers."

He also highly recommends taking wilderness medicine courses and avalanche training before entering the backcountry, and to find a knowledgeable, trustworthy partner or friend group to rely on in the wilderness.

Today, the backcountry zone near Telluride where Fernandez's oldest brother, Garrett Gravelle, died is now a part of Telluride Ski Resort. Those who know call it "Gravelly's Pitch."

Fernandez hopes the story behind the run serves as a permanent reminder that recreating in the mountains he and his family love comes with dangers that should never be overlooked.

"Any decision that's made 10 minutes ago can be upended by changing weather conditions," he said, "and as easy as it is to judge and criticize from a distance, those of us in this community who are professionals or recreationists, we understand that any tragedy is also an opportunity to learn and to continue the body politic of assessing the decisions that went into it and hopefully be safer in the future."

John Miller is the Albuquerque Journal’s northern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at jmiller@abqjournal.com.