In southwestern Colorado, a snowboarder tragically lost their life due to an avalanche on Thursday, marking the fourth avalanche-related fatality in the western United States this week following a series of winter storms.

The snowboarder was swept away by the avalanche while in the backcountry close to Silverton. Fortunately, a companion who was skiing alongside them managed to escape the snow slide unscathed. According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, staff members from a nearby backcountry lodge were quick to notice the avalanche, and they immediately alerted rescuers. They also assisted the skier in retrieving the victim from the avalanche debris.

Earlier this week, three individuals were killed in separate avalanche incidents: one near California’s Lake Tahoe and two in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains. The avalanche threat had been heightened across many of Colorado’s mountainous regions, although conditions have improved in some areas since then.