Silverton (US), Feb 22 (AP) A snowboarder was killed in an avalanche in the mountains of southwestern Colorado on Thursday, the fourth person to die in an avalanche in the US West this week after a string of winter storms.

Sarah Steinwand, 41, of Crested Butte, Colorado, was caught in the debris of the avalanche in the backcountry near Silverton, but a man who was skiing with the snowboarder escaped the snow slide, the Colorado Avalanche Information Centre said.

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Staff from a nearby backcountry hut noticed the avalanche, alerted rescuers and helped the skier dig Steinwand out of the debris, it said.

Three people died in avalanches Monday — one person near Lake Tahoe in California and two backcountry skiers in Oregon's Cascade Mountains.

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The avalanche danger was elevated for most of Colorado's mountains earlier this week but conditions have improved somewhat in some areas. (AP)

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