They're called the "Happy Chutes," but last week they were anything but as an avalanche there claimed the life of a Crested Butte resident.

Michael Bowen, 36, is reported to have left his home midday Wednesday, Dec. 17, for a quick, solo snowboarding outing at the notorious backcountry spot, located just a couple of miles northwest of town on the flanks of Mt. Emmons. Sometime that afternoon he lost his life in one of several slides that have occurred recently in those chutes.

Law enforcement and rescue crews were first alerted that Bowen was missing early Thursday morning, Mt. Crested Butte Police Chief Hank Smith reported. It took them until Saturday to find his body, after an extremely difficult and dangerous search effort.

"There are quite a number of slides up there," Smith said, noting that they all "went the whole way" -- meaning they slid all the way to the valley floor. It was difficult determining which chute Bowen was in, Smith explained.

According to a preliminary report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), the "soft slab" avalanche that killed Bowen ran approximately 1,500 vertical feet, through small trees, over a cliff and into a confined gully.

Heavy snowfall in the past couple of weeks has coupled with a relatively low-snow early season to create several layers of unstable snowpack and extremely dangerous backcountry conditions. On Dec. 16, the avalanche warning in place was "High" danger at all elevations. While the danger remained "High" above treeline on Dec. 17, the day Bowen went out, the CAIC and the Crested Butte Avalanche Center reported the danger as "Considerable" on all aspects below treeline.

The Happy Chutes are a popular area among local backcountry enthusiasts, primarily because of their proximity to Crested Butte and ease of access. Bowen, for example, rode his bicycle from town to the trailhead near Peanut Lake, and hiked, or "skinned," on a split-board (a snowboard specially designed for use in the backcountry) to the top of the chutes from there.

"I've probably skied that 100 times," said Eric Dishmon, one of Bowen's closest friends and frequent backcountry companion. "I've never had any major avalanches up there."

Others say there was a reason they weren't skiing or riding the Happy Chutes, or other backcountry terrain, that day. They knew the conditions were extremely dangerous.

But it came as a surprise to no one, many say, that Bowen was out there, alone.

"Mike really did everything on his own terms," said Mike Horn, another close friend and riding partner, "and that included going into the mountains when he wanted to go."

Smith, the police chief, said Bowen did have one friend who he notified whenever he went snowboarding in the backcountry. She was the one who notified authorities, he said, when she discovered he was missing Thursday morning.

The word of Bowen's absence spread quickly to his friends.

"Once I saw on the caller ID the person who was calling, I knew immediately what was wrong," said Dishmon, who spent the next couple of days aiding in the search effort. "I was incredibly sad without even having to pick up the phone."

County Coroner Frank Vader said Bowen died from the "multiple trauma" injuries he sustained in the slide -- not from being buried, though rescuers did uncover his body from beneath four-to-five feet of snow in the avalanche's large debris pile.

His death marked the second avalanche fatality in Colorado so far this winter. Fifty-two year old Cory Brettman of the Aspen area -- a longtime ski patroller and experienced mountaineer who was also skiing alone in a similarly familiar and convenient backcountry area on that side of the Elk Mountains -- died Dec. 14.

Underscoring the severity of recent avalanche conditions was the "in bounds" fatality that occurred at Utah's Snowbird Ski Resort that same day.

The Dec. 17 incident marks the first avalanche fatality in Gunnison County since February 2001, when a Crested Butte woman was killed skiing the "East Bowl" near the summit of Ohio Pass. Prior to that, in February of 1999, three Western State College students were killed skiing and snowmobiling in the Cumberland Pass area above Pitkin.

Friends describe Bowen as an extremely funny, intelligent and witty person who lived to be in the backcountry. He was a longtime employee of the Buckaroo Beanery in Crested Butte, who also pursued occasional odd and off-season jobs so he could pursue his passion for the outdoors. He spent a recent summer trekking through the mountains of South America.

"He lived the dream," said another friend, Dave Book. "Everybody loved Mike."

Bowen was born and raised in Iowa. He leaves behind his parents, Bob and Judy Bowen, sister, Jennifer Hesse, two nieces and a community full of friends.

There will be a memorial service at 10 a.m. Jan. 3 at Oh Be Joyful Church in Crested Butte. A celebration of life will follow at 2 p.m. at the Town Depot.

 

(Chris Dickey can be contacted at 970.641.1414 or editor@gunnisontimes.com)