Accident Report
Yule Creek, south of Marble - CO
1 backcountry tourer partially buried - not critical and injured - 2025/03/08
Backcountry Area: Aspen
Status: Preliminary Information
Published: 2025/03/10
Authors: Brian Lazar, Dylan Craaybeek,
Accident Summary
On March 8, a skier was caught, carried, and seriously injured in an avalanche off Raspberry Ridge on the lower portion of a run locally called "Money Shot". The avalanche occurred on a steep northeast-facing slope around 10,400 feet that has avalanched multiple times earlier this season. The skier's partner assisted in digging him out of the snow and addressing his injuries. His partner then dragged him down nearly 600 vertical feet to the location of the summer trail, where search and rescue teams assisted. The skier was transported to the Aspen Valley Hospital via helicopter from near the summer trail.
CAIC Notes
CAIC staff will publish a full report on the accident in the coming week.
Area Description
Raspberry ridge
Avalanche
Caught in an avalanche
The slope that avalanched slid multiple times earlier this season and was significantly more shallow than adjacent slopes. The avalanche erased the tracks of two backcountry tourers that had crossed the same slope the day prior after one of them was caught in a small avalanche just below the ridgeline. The two skiers from the previous day also remotely triggered an avalanche just below the accident site.
|
i
Expand to see more details
|
Date | # | Elev | Asp | Type | Trig | SizeR | SizeD | Problem Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
03/08/2025
|
1 | <TL | NE | SS | AS/u | R2 | D2 | |||
|
Date, Time & Site
Date and Time
03/08/2025 -
12:00pm
(known)
Site Elevation
10,410 ft
Slope Angle
39
Slope Characteristic
Convex Slope
Unsupported Slope
Dimensions
Avg Depth
50 cm
Avg Width
300 ft
Max Vertical Run
500 ft
Slab
Hardness
4 Finger
Grain Type
Rounded Grains
Grain size
0.3
Bed Surface
Sliding Surface
O
Start Zone
Elevation
10410 ft
Avg Slope Angle
39
Max Slope Angle
47
Ground Cover
Rocky
Snow Moisture
Dry
Path
Terrain Trap
Yes
Terrain Trap Type
Gully
Comments
Area Description
Money Shot
Avalanche Comments
Convex rollover on a slope that has avalanched multiple times this season. Debris piled up in a terrain trap below the slope and was over 4 meters deep.
Incident
Yes
|
||||||||||