Colorado Agencies Launch Avalanche Safety Push for Snowmobilers

Colorado Avalanche Information Center and Colorado Parks and Wildlife are using International Snowmobile Ride Day on Feb. 14 and Take a Friend Snowmobiling Week, Feb. 7–16, to warn the state's growing snowmobile community about avalanche risk and promote new digital safety tools. Snowmobilers account for approximately 22% of Colorado avalanche fatalities over the past decade, according to CAIC.

"Snowmobiling is a great way to experience Colorado's backcountry, and many riders are introducing friends to the sport this winter," said CAIC Director Ethan Greene. "Take a Friend Snowmobiling Week is a good opportunity to introduce new riders to avalanche awareness, as many popular riding areas include avalanche-prone terrain."

Greene emphasized core safety practices for backcountry riders: Check the CAIC avalanche forecast at colorado.gov/avalanche before heading out. Watch for warning signs such as recent avalanches, cracking in the snow, and sounds of collapsing in the snowpack. Avoid traveling on or beneath similar slopes when red flags appear. Ensure everyone carries and knows how to use an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel. Travel one at a time in avalanche terrain.

To reach riders before they head into the backcountry, CAIC and CPW have introduced three key resources this season.

Snowmobilers can now access real-time avalanche forecasts and warnings directly through the Colorado Trail Explorer (COTREX) app. The tool integrates CAIC avalanche information into route planning, letting users view which activities are allowed on specific routes, download offline maps, and see closures and safety alerts. More than 40 agency partners use COTREX to post real-time advisories across the state.

For the 2025–26 season, CAIC partnered with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education and the Northwest Avalanche Center to launch Avalanche Aware eLearning, a free online course at avalanche.state.co.us/avalanche-aware. The course includes a snowmobiling-specific module.

CAIC Director Greene will discuss current conditions and safety directly with riders at the Colorado Snowmobile Association Convention in Pitkin, Feb. 6–8.

Snowmobiles operated on public land, state parks or trails in Colorado must be registered with CPW. Registration fees fund trail maintenance across the state.

"CPW is incredibly grateful to the snowmobile community whose registration fees directly support winter trail maintenance in Colorado," said CPW's Assistant Director for Outdoor Recreation and Lands Fletcher Jacobs. "Combined with the tireless efforts of local snowmobile clubs and volunteers who groom and maintain these routes, this partnership helps improve rider safety and sustain the future of snowmobiling in our state."

CAIC maintains Colorado's central avalanche accident database, which includes fatal avalanche accidents dating back to 1997. The agency recently added travel-mode summary tables and charts showing trends for both Colorado and the U.S., according to the Colorado Avalanche Accidents Summary page.

Riders can submit field reports and observations at colorado.gov/avalanche or via CAIC's mobile app to help improve forecasts for all backcountry users.