With veteran defensemen Brock Faber, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon all missing with various ailments and newcomer David Jiricek making his Wild debut, the back end was sure to be at least part

A skier died in an avalanche, Colorado officials said. On Jan. 7, a backcountry skier was “caught, buried, and killed in an avalanche on Red Mountain Number 3” near Bollywood, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

A backcountry skier was caught, buried and killed Tuesday in an avalanche near Red Mountain Pass in southern Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, officials said.

The accident marks Colorado's first reported avalanche fatality, per Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) data.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center is urging backcountry travelers to exercise extra caution across the Colorado mountains through the weekend as dangerous avalanche conditions persist.