Irwin snowcat slides off road near spillway

Lands on lake with minimal damage

A freak winter accident last Sunday at Lake Irwin resulted in a snowcat tipping over on the lake. The Irwin Guides primary Tucker snowcat landed on its side on the ice of Lake Irwin Sunday evening while transporting guests down from a day of skiing.

According to an investigation of the incident by Irwin staff, the cat was moving down the road near the spillway when the snow collapsed under the backside of the left track, causing the multi-ton vehicle to tip slowly sideways toward, then onto, the lake.
The cat was carrying 10 skiers and two Irwin employees at the time of the accident. Fortunately, no one was hurt and all 12 individuals were transported back to Crested Butte, said Irwin Mountain Manager Billy Rankin.
The Irwin transportation department was alerted of the situation and dispatched to the area, where they were able to inspect the scene, assess the vehicle and form an extraction plan. They were then able to implement that plan during the day on Monday, February 10.
Though there was some concern over environmental contamination of the snow due to the size of the cat’s fuel tank and the possible leaking of other engine fluids, the transportation department found minimal environmental impact, and according to Irwin the team was able mitigate the small amount of contaminated snow at the site.
Gunnison County officials said they were aware of the situation and were working to verify specifics of the incident with the cat operator.
There was little damage to the snowcat, and by Tuesday morning the cat was off the ice and the area had been cleaned-up, said Rankin.