Oak Creek man in good condition after avalanche
Thursday, January 23, 2003
Steamboat Springs — An Oak Creek man is in good condition after surviving an avalanche on Berthoud Pass while skiing Saturday.
John Jaycox, 50, was backcountry skiing with two friends in the Butler Gulch area about 18 miles northwest of Georgetown when an avalanche slide occurred at about 1:30 p.m.
Beverly Johnson, a spokeswoman at St. Anthony's Central Hospital, said Jaycox suffered a leg injury.
He broke his leg when the slide swept him down the hill and into a tree.
His two friends from Lakewood were not caught in the slide. One of the skiers stayed with Jaycox while the other skier went down the mountain and sought help.
Rescue teams responded on snowmobiles and reached Jaycox at about 5 p.m. They safely transported Jaycox from the mountain about two hours later.
Conditions were windy, which can make for unstable snowpack. The area where the avalanche occurred, which is heavily wooded and popular with backcountry skiers, had not received much recent snowfall.
-- To reach Danie Harrelson call 871-4203
or e-mail dharrelson@steamboatpilot.com
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