Aspen, Colorado – On Sunday, April 8, 2018 a backcountry skier was caught and killed in an avalanche while ascending on skins in Maroon Bowl outside of the Aspen Highlands Ski Resort boundary near Aspen, Colorado.
The preliminary report from CAIC notes that two skiers exited the backcountry access gate. Both skiers were caught in the slide and one person was killed in Maroon Bowl.
According to AspenTimes.com, a reporting party stated “the skiers were skinning uphill on skis in the Maroon Bowl when the avalanche broke loose. Both skiers were caught in the avalanche and ‘raked through the trees.”
The 2nd skier communicated with ski patrol via cell phone and was able to reach the other skier, but resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. Mountain Rescue Aspen organized a rescue, but terrain and conditions were to dangerous to safely access the scene. The 2nd skier was able to ski out.
Multiple sources state that the victim was a member of Mountain Rescue Aspen.
We will try to update this post when more information is available.
UPDATE 4/10: AspenTimes.com identified the victim as 57-year-old John Galvin – a 30-year veteran of Mountain Rescue Aspen. RIP.
See Also: Global Avalanche Accidents 2017/2018
Read more about the avalanche near Aspen Highlands in Colorado from the following sources:
Information in this post was found using Google Translate. There may be errors in this information. Please use the sources listed above to verify all facts.
