Snowshoers trigger small avalanche inside Rocky Mountain National Park

A group of snowshoers traveling along the Emerald Lake Trail, on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park, triggered an avalanche Jan. 21 near Nymph Lake, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The slide carried three people and partially buried one person to their knees, according to a report. Nobody was injured.

This is the second time this month that an avalanche has caught and partially buried snowshoers, prompting warnings from the center. The snowshoer triggered the avalanche while crossing a steeper slope and breaking trail, according to a report.

“Wherever you plan to travel in the backcountry — whether it’s on skis, foot, snowshoes, or snowmobile — it’s all about avoiding trigger points. You can travel to many places without incident, but if you find just the wrong spot on the wrong slope, you can still trigger a dangerous slide,” officials from the center wrote in a Facebook post.

Before heading into the backcountry, recreationists should check avalanche forecasts at Colorado.gov/avalanche.