Snow conditions were sketchy this weekend... I hoped not to hear news like this. Thoughts and prayers to friend, family, first responders. This is the stuff of nightmares...

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/lo ... eland-pass

Agreed. Very sad. They certainly made several mistakes, but it's still sad.

A terrible event indeed. Lots of positive vibes to the family and friends of the victims.

I would suggest we hold off on the 'arm-chair' assessment of the events until more details are known. Sounds like the group were very experienced, including one backcountry guide.

http://xgames.espn.go.com/article/9196383/colorado-authorities-identify-5-riders-killed-loveland-pass-avalanche

Avalanche terrain travel is about minimizing risks, not eliminating them. I would hope that based on their experience their decisions and the associated risks were understood prior to execution.

Similarities to the group avalanche at Stevens Pass in 2012. Many experienced people, some very experienced (2 guides), in a community/media event.
Outside magazine published a good article last year about how sometimes being in a group with high competence and experience can sometimes increase danger since you assume that "oh, that guy would surely say something", and simultaneously not wanting to be the one to speak up and be a killjoy.
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/snow-sports/Tunnel-Vision-November-2012.html?page=all

RIP

NYT did a great piece on the Tunnel Creek incident as well:

http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall/#/?part=tunnel-creek

From the reports it sounds as if they were just traversing across the slope below the release point when it happened. I'm not sure how far below they were when the slide occurred.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_23084012/colorado-avalanche-turns-mellow-day-into-desperate-dig-life?source=pkg

I've created a couple of maps showing the outline of the avalanche w/ slope angles on the satellite photos and topo maps.
CAIC outline of avalanche.

Satellite View w/ avalanche outline and slope angles. (See attachment below for color bar scale.)

Official incident report has been posted:

https://avalanche.state.co.us/acc/acc_report.php?accfm=inv&acc_id=505&view=public