ROARING FORK BROADCASTING COMPANY
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center is warning backcountry travelers to take special care this weekend after 19 people have been caught in slides — including two groups in the Aspen area — since March 21.
“Between Wednesday and Thursday alone, eight people were caught in seven avalanches,” the center said in a news release.
CAIC has recorded more than 5,000 avalanches so far this season, with 102 people caught, 37 partially buried, six people fully buried and 14 people injured. Two people have been killed by avalanches this winter.
One skier was caught and fully buried by an avalanche in a harrowing accident south of Ashcroft on Wednesday, according to CAIC. Another skier was struck from behind by the slide but remained on the surface.
“This group of skiers was on a multi-day hut trip at the Lindley Hut near Ashcroft with a larger group,” the CAIC report said. “This smaller group of four decided to ascend and ski a couloir locally known as ‘Dr. Evil’ north of Star Peak. While ascending the couloir two skiers stayed near the base of the couloir behind a rock outcrop and transitioned to descend as they did not want to continue farther up the couloir.”
The other two skiers continued ascending with their climbing skins. About 20 feet from the ridgeline, the leading skier heard a muffled collapse and noticed the slope “drop a couple inches.”
“It took several seconds before he realized the slope had avalanched and he was being taken for a ride,” the report said. “Meanwhile, one of the skiers near the bottom of the slope (who had decided to descend) skied out a short distance beyond the rock outcrop and was looking down at the run when he was struck in the head by the avalanche and immediately knocked over and carried down the slope. When the avalanche came to a stop, the lower skier was on the surface and the group quickly realized one member was missing — the skier that triggered the avalanche near the top of the couloir.”
Another member of the party hit the SOS button on his InReach and began a transceiver search of the debris pile. As he got closer to the buried victim he heard muffled yells underneath the snow and started digging with his shovel.
“He cleared the buried skier’s airway in less than 10 minutes from the start of the avalanche,” the report said.
The skiers searched for missing gear for a couple of hours and returned to the hut by about 6 p.m.
Another close call was reported to CAIC on March 23 after two snowboarders and two skiers traveled off Highland Ridge into an area known as Big Mamma Bowl, a chute leading to the Maroon Creek Valley.
The four riders descended 400 vertical feet to an “anchor point” on a north aspect in dark timber, according to the field report submitted to CAIC. A snowboarder descended from that point and triggered an avalanche on a southwest aspect. It broke about 100 feet above the rider and propagated across into the northwest aspect terrain.
“The rider attempted to exit left but was overtaken by the slide and carried between 1,650 and 1,750 feet of vert,” the report said. “The rider was taken under but came out partially buried and uninjured when the slide settled.”
Two companions of the snowboarder deployed their avalanche beacons and started their search. The person was digging out when they arrived. Once they cleared the slide path, they radioed to the remaining skier above the slide to descend to skier’s right to avoid hang fire, the report narrative said.
Steady snow and occasional winds have ramped up avalanche conditions in the Aspen area this week. They are currently rated as “considerable.”
“The increasing number of people recently caught in avalanches is concerning — especially as we head into a weekend with fresh snow and considerable avalanche danger,” CAIC Director Ethan Greene said in a news release. “The increased avalanche danger means there is an even greater chance of triggering an avalanche and it could be bigger than previous days.”