Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Wednesday December 23rd, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Join us daily for an in-depth look at one of our top stories, and a quick summary of other important things happening in our state.

Today - After avalanches kill three experienced skiers in two days Colorado plans to ramp up messaging, But how to reach experienced backcountry travelers is an age-old debate. 

Before we begin, let’s take a look at what happened on this day in Colorado history - adapted from Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

Today, we take you back to December 23rd, 1869 when agricultural innovator Nathan C Meeker convened a meeting to organize a farming colony in Colorado Territory, Meeker worked for the New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley, who supported the effort to recruit residents.

Now, our feature story. 

Heading into this backcountry ski season, state officials have joined avalanche educators and search-and-rescue teams in a vocal campaign. 

They’re urging backcountry skiers to plan and be prepared for travel in avalanche terrain. 

Backcountry retail shops and avalanche gear manufacturers are reporting record sales. Avalanche education classes and clinics are swelling to record numbers. 

Last Friday, Ethan Greene’s team at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center capped a week of warnings detailing an increasingly touchy snowpack.

Two days later, three very experienced backcountry skiers were dead in two avalanches. 

Colorado Sun reporter Jason Blevins  is joining us today to talk about how this season is different, why it’s more dangerous, and what happened last weekend.

Jason, thank you so much. To start, how many avalanches have we seen recently? And how does that compare to the past few years, and of course, what’s the cause?

Can you tell us about these three skiers?

So, they were pretty experienced skiers, right?

And does that align with the research that’s coming out of The Colorado Avalanche Information Center?

So what are Green and his team doing to educate people about this?

Thanks, Jason

Last week’s spike in human-caused avalanches surpassed previous records set in January 2015, January 2012 and December 2013. The slides weren’t giants, but they were very easy to trigger.

How to reach experienced travelers is an age-old debate. Veterans can grow complacent, especially in areas where they ski often.

The sketchy snowpack isn’t going to change anytime soon. The layer of sugary, faceted crystals near the ground is not going anywhere. And new snow piled on top will make that weak layer a big factor in avalanches for the rest of the season.

Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:

Frisco restaurateur Bob Starekow got some devastating news last week. His federal Paycheck Protection Program loan came with unexpected strings.

Colorado health officials are not currently planning to change the state’s priority list for coronavirus vaccination, despite new recommendations from a federal committee.

A top employee at Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, filed a defamation lawsuit Tuesday against President Donald Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign, the president’s personal attorney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and the conservative media outlet Newsmax, among others.

The Justice Department is suing Walmart, alleging the company unlawfully dispensed controlled substances through its pharmacies, helping to fuel the opioid crisis in America.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. Now, a quick message from our editor.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Wednesday December 23rd, and we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Join us daily for an in-depth look at one of our top stories, and a quick summary of other important things happening in our state.
Today - After avalanches kill three experienced skiers in two days Colorado plans to ramp up messaging, But how to reach experienced backcountry travelers is an age-old debate.&nbsp;
Before we begin, let&rsquo;s take a look at what happened on this day in Colorado history - adapted from Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;:
Today, we take you back to December 23rd, 1869 when agricultural innovator Nathan C Meeker convened a meeting to organize a farming colony in Colorado Territory, Meeker worked for the New York Tribune editor Horace Greeley, who supported the effort to recruit residents.
Now, our feature story.&nbsp;
Heading into this backcountry ski season, state officials have joined avalanche educators and search-and-rescue teams in <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/12/07/colorado-backcountry-avalanche-awareness-coronavirus/">a vocal campaign.&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/12/07/colorado-backcountry-avalanche-awareness-coronavirus/">They&rsquo;re urging backcountry skiers</a> to plan and be prepared for travel in avalanche terrain.&nbsp;
Backcountry retail shops and avalanche gear manufacturers are <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/12/18/backcountry-avalanche-gear-sales-explode-scarcity/">reporting record sales</a>. Avalanche education classes and clinics are swelling to record numbers.&nbsp;
Last Friday, Ethan Greene&rsquo;s team at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center capped a week of warnings detailing an increasingly touchy snowpack.
Two days later, <a href="https://coloradosun.com/2020/12/20/ophir-pass-avalanche-kills-two-colorado/">three very experienced backcountry skiers</a> were dead in two avalanches.&nbsp;
Colorado Sun reporter <a href="mailto:jason@coloradosun.com">Jason Blevins</a>&nbsp; is joining us today to talk about how this season is different, why it&rsquo;s more dangerous, and what happened last weekend.
Jason, thank you so much. To start, how many avalanches have we seen recently? And how does that compare to the past few years, and of course, what&rsquo;s the cause?
Can you tell us about these three skiers?
So, they were pretty experienced skiers, right?
And does that align with the research that&rsquo;s coming out of The Colorado Avalanche Information Center?
So what are Green and his team doing to educate people about this?
Thanks, Jason
Last week&rsquo;s spike in human-caused avalanches surpassed previous records set in January 2015, January 2012 and December 2013. The slides weren&rsquo;t giants, but they were very easy to trigger.
How to reach experienced travelers is an age-old debate. Veterans can grow complacent, especially in areas where they ski often.
The sketchy snowpack isn&rsquo;t going to change anytime soon. The layer of sugary, faceted crystals near the ground is not going anywhere. And new snow piled on top will make that weak layer a big factor in avalanches for the rest of the season.
Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:
Frisco restaurateur Bob Starekow got some devastating news last week. His federal Paycheck Protection Program loan came with unexpected strings.
Colorado health officials are not currently planning to change the state&rsquo;s priority list for coronavirus vaccination, despite new recommendations from a federal committee.
A top employee at Denver-based Dominion Voting Systems, filed a defamation lawsuit Tuesday against President Donald Trump&rsquo;s 2020 reelection campaign, the president&rsquo;s personal attorney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and the conservative media outlet Newsmax, among others.
The Justice Department is suing Walmart, alleging the company unlawfully dispensed controlled substances through its pharmacies, helping to fuel the opioid crisis in America.
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>. Now, a quick message from our editor.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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