Colorado Avalanche Information Center
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The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) provides information about
snowpack Snowpack is an accumulation of snow that compresses with time and melts seasonally, often at high elevation or high latitude. Snowpacks are an important water resource that feed streams and rivers as they melt, sometimes leading to flooding. Snow ...
stability throughout the state of
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
for
motorist Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. A driver's permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met, and drivers are required to ...
s and backcountry recreationists in order to reduce the number of
avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...
deaths, injuries, and economic damages within the state.About the CAIC
/ref> Colorado accounts for 1/3 of avalanche deaths within the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, and avalanches are the most deadly
natural disaster A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...
within Colorado. The Center, originally called the Colorado Avalanche Warning Center, was initially created in 1973 as part of a
US Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...
program which ended in 1983, when it was transferred to the
Colorado Department of Natural Resources The Colorado Department of Natural Resources is the principal department of the Colorado state government responsible for the development, protection, and enhancement Colorado natural resources for the use and enjoyment of the state's present a ...
. Between 1987 and 2013 the Center was part of the Colorado Geological Survey, but has since been spun off the CGS. The CAIC provides contractual services to the
Colorado Department of Transportation The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT, pronounced See Dot) is the principal department of the government of Colorado, Colorado state government that administers state government responsibility for Transportation in Colorado, transport ...
.


Organization

CAIC's main office is in
Boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In ...
, with field offices in
Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...
, Breckenridge, and in the
San Juan Mountains The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry ...
. The Center employs 15 "avalanche professionals".CAIC Staff
/ref>


Work

Colorado has a large population of people who utilize mountain roads, and there is an increasing number of people who recreate in the backcountry.Friends of CAIC
/ref> The Center provides education to backcountry athletes and motorists who desire to learn more about the mountain and safety.FAQ
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414223739/http://avalanche.state.co.us/pub/info_faq.php , date=2010-04-14


References


External links


Official website
Avalanche safety Organizations based in Colorado 1973 establishments in Colorado