Avalanche Incident
Avalanche Incident
Accident Summary
A 43-year-old out-of-bounds skier from Aspen was killed in a sizable slab avalanche beyond the boundary of the Aspen Mountain Ski Area. The man was skiing alone when he likely triggered the avalanche on Sunday (March 8) on a treed area called Ophir Gulch. It is believed that he entered the slope from the side and under cut a steeper slope above, and triggered the avalanche. The avalanche started midway downslope and left a lot of slab hanging above the fracture line.
No one reported the man overdue. Paragliders first noticed the avalanche on Tuesday, but it was not until Wednesday that paragliders saw the body. The avalanche occurred below the Ruthie's launch area near the top of the mountain. Members of the Aspen Mountain Ski Patrol were able to reach the body, but because of unstable snow conditons could not evacuate the body until Thursday morning. It appears the victim died of injuries sustained during the avalanche.
Avalanche Data
The soft-slab avalanche released at an elevation of about 10,000 feet on a west-facing aspect. The fracture line was about 3 feet deep by 500 feet wide. It ran 380 vertical feet.
The backcountry avalanche danger was rated at
below treeline;
triggered releases by backcountry travelers were possible; however, near
and above treeline the danger was rated
on slopes and
gullies steeper than 30 degrees.
From the Colorado advisory of March 12, 1998:
Yesterday two snowboarders were caught in a slide on Loveland Pass, and an
out-of-bounds skier was killed in an avalanche on Monday outside of Aspen
Mountain.
Media Reports
|
|