Source::AP
DENVER
Tyler DeWitt and Evan Hannibal were slowly making their way down a windswept slope during a backcountry snowboarding excursion in Colorado last spring when the shallow snow beneath them shifted and broke loose.
“Avalanche!” shouted DeWitt.
Hannibal’s helmet cam captured the moment and the tense, profanity-laced exchange that followed as the slide near the Continental Divide gained momentum.
The experienced backcountry snowboarders weren’t injured, but the avalanche buried a service road in about 20 feet (6 meters) of snow and came dangerously close to Interstate 70, a major route for ski traffic. As soon as they were safe, the two men called 911 to report the slide and spent two hours at the scene describing what happened. They shared the video and offered to send photos. They thanked investigators for showing up. Hannibal described the interaction as cordial.
Weeks later, the snowboarders were stunned when they got word they were being charged with reckless endangerment. DeWitt and Hannibal didn’t immediately realize the slide destroyed an expensive avalanche mitigation system.
Prosecutors also are seeking $168,000 in damages in a rare case some worry could deter other backcountry skiers and snowboarders from coming forward to report avalanches out of fear of costly retribution. Their trial is scheduled to begin Thursday and will be closely watched by backcountry enthusiasts and avalanche prevention specialists.
Hannibal, 26, of Vail, said in an interview with The Associated Press that several people have already told him they are reporting avalanches anonymously to avoid getting slapped with charges. “Most people, if not everybody that travels in the backcountry, wants to make it safer and wants to report avalanches,” he said. “But as far as reporting avalanches with your name attached to it, I think that might drop significantly.”
Summit County District Attorney Heidi McCollum declined to address the specifics of the case but said the charges and the possible restitution are appropriate. She disagreed that the case would deter backcountry users from reporting avalanches.
“Whether or not someone chooses to report any of their actions which may have injured another person or may have injured property is going to be within their own personal constitution. And the outcome of one misdemeanor trial in Summit County, Colorado, is not going to change what one individual would otherwise do,” she said.
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