Aspen

Avalanche

A skier triggered a soft slab avalanche on a northeast-facing slope (G8) above treeline. The slab broke around 1 foot deep in the recent storm snow on a layer of buried near-surface facets. The avalanche broke approximately 40 feet wide, and ran about 1000 vertical feet. The skier was caught and carried in the moving debris. He lost one ski and broke the other in half. He was not injured and self-extracted. The skier "fought hard" to keep form getting buried in the debris. A separate similar skier-triggered avalanche occurred in the same area (G2) about the same time on north-facing slope near treeline. No one was reported caught in this second avalanche.