Avalanche kills Washington climber as she was taking photos, Colorado officials say
An ice climber from Washington state was killed over the weekend in Colorado when a block of ice above her fell, triggering a small avalanche that buried her in a creek below, authorities said.
Van Le Little, the 44-year-old Seattle woman killed in the slide, “was reportedly climbing with three other people and had stepped off to the side to take photos when the avalanche occurred” on Saturday, KKTV reported.
Little was untethered but was not climbing when the avalanche began in the Uncompahgre Gorge south of Ouray, according to a Colorado Avalanche Information Center report released Saturday.
“The victim was hit by the snow and ice,” Colorado officials said. “She was caught and carried in the avalanche. She came to rest in the creek where she was fully buried.”
The death, which happened around 10:30 a.m., was Colorado’s first avalanche fatality of 2020 and the second of the season, KMGH reports.
Ouray County emergency manager Glenn Boyd said in a statement that Little was on the Dungeon Ice Climbing route, according to The Denver Post, which also reported that Little “stepped off to the side of the climb to take pictures of the other climbers when the avalanche happened.”
Boyd called Little’s death during the guided climb “a freak accident, for sure,” the Montrose Press reported.
No one else was hurt in the weekend slide, officials said.
“Our deepest condolences go out to the family, friends, and everyone affected by this accident,” Colorado officials said.
KKTV reported that Little was “near the bottom of the climb.”
According to the Ouray County Plaindealer, “the exact cause of her death is still under investigation, pending an autopsy.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2020 at 2:37 PM with the headline "Avalanche kills Washington climber as she was taking photos, Colorado officials say."
