Avalanche — Gore And Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys, Colorado
February 23, 2010 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
In the week leading up to the date of the accident, Aspen Mountain, which is the closest observing site, reported up to 35 inches of new snowfall. Weak layers underneath the fresh snow created a very unstable snowpack, which lead to the deadly avalanche. A group of 6 people were staying at the Lindley Hut near Ashcroft, and on the day of the accident, 3 people in the group ventured out to ski some of the lower slopes near the hut. The skiers were skinning up a slope about a quarter mile east of the hut, when the first skier triggered a slide that carried him 150 feet downhill and buried him underneath 3 feet of snow in a dense stand of trees. The two other skiers did not witness the initial trigger of the slide, but began to search for the victim after seeing what happened. They contacted
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Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.