1 dead following avalanche near Aspen, officials say
A skier died in an avalanche on Monday outside Aspen, Colorado, the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office said.
The avalanche occurred shortly before 10:30 a.m. local time in a wilderness area near the Markley Hut, said Alex Burchetta, chief deputy of operations for the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office.
Our office has been notified of an avalanche outside Aspen, in the area of the Markley Hut. The slide caught one individual & has claimed the life of that individual. Deputies & @MtnRescueAspen are making a plan now. Updates will be available as we learn more information. pic.twitter.com/pbFF3Tg1Fd
— Pitkin Co. Sheriff (@PitkinSheriff) January 21, 2019
The victim was the only person caught in the snow slide.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center recently has issued multiple backcountry skiing warnings because of heavy snowfall in the area.
Special Avalanche Advisory. Avalanche conditions are dangerous. Backcountry travel this weekend will require conservative decision making, cautious route finding, and careful snowpack and terrain evaluation. https://t.co/7rsmm4FFnT
— CAIC Aspen (@CAICaspen) January 19, 2019
This comes just days after an avalanche left one dead and one seriously injured at the Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico.
At 11:30AM today, an inbounds avalanche occurred on the K3 shoot off of Kachina Peak. Taos Ski Valley Ski Patrol immediately responded to the scene.
The trigger of the avalanche is unknown at this time but a full investigation of the incident and its cause will be conducted.— Taos Ski Valley (@TaosSkiValley) January 17, 2019
