Backcountry skier dies in avalanche near Aspen Highlands
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- Created on Tuesday, 05 April 2011 12:14
- Written by Nathan
By SCOTT CONDON, THE ASPEN TIMES
A backcountry skier was killed in an avalanche Monday afternoon in an area between Maroon Bowl and Tonar Bowl, outside the boundary of the Aspen Highlands ski area, the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office said.
The victim was identified as Adam Brady Dennis, 38, of Aspen. His body couldn't be removed from the area Monday because of the danger of additional snow slides, Deputy Sheriff Adam Crider said. “It sounds like it was a very dangerous situation up there,” he said.
A recovery effort by Mountain Rescue Aspen will be attempted today if conditions allow, according to Crider.
The accident occurred in an area known as Desolation Row, also known just as Desolation, a bowl regarded as one of the best lines for backcountry skiing in the Aspen area, according to a source familiar with the area. The bowl is on the west side of Highlands Ridge. Desolation provides about 4,000 vertical feet from the ridgetop to the Maroon Creek Valley floor. The slide reportedly started about one-third of the way down the bowl and carried a considerable distance, the source said.
There were five skiers in the group, the sheriff's office said. None of the other four was injured. Dennis was the last of the five to ski the bowl, authorities said after interviews with the survivors. The members of the group carried avalanche beacons, authorities said.
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