Skiers 'lucky to be alive' after massive avalanche

A major avalanche came crashing down a north-facing aspect on Independence Pass on Saturday.

A trio of skiers triggered the slide and are "lucky to be alive," according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The backcountry avalanche reportedly ran more than 2,000 feet, crossing and covering Highway 82, which is currently closed for the season. The slide "fractured all the way across the face, and propagated all the way down to the ground on old rotten facets," the Colorado Avalanche Information Center reported.

It was described as a "very, very, very large and destructive class 5 avalanche," according to the center, and forceful enough to theoretically destroy a railway car, large truck, several buildings, or a substantial amount of forest.

The crown of the slide was estimated to be between 2 and 10 feet deep.

The weather at the time was about 30 degrees, with mostly clear skies and an inch of new snow.

"Similar avalanches have been triggered on northwest to northeast aspects near or just above treeline throughout the state," Brian McCall of the avalanche center wrote. "These have usually occurred in areas with a shallow snowpack. In our region, the terrain around Ashcroft and Independence Pass is the most suspect for these large triggered avalanches due to shallow and weaker snowpack with more problematic facets in the lower snowpack."

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center had rated the danger as moderate for Saturday.

Avalanche danger in the Aspen area on Sunday was high for slopes facing north through east through southeast above treeline. All other aspects in the area will see considerable avalanche danger, according to the CAIC.

River Name / Location	Stream flow, ft3/s	Gage height ft
Gore Creek
At Upper Station, Near I-70 Twin Bridges	n/a	4 ft
Booth Creek	n/a	4 ft
Abv Red Sandstone Creek At Vail	199	6 ft
At Mouth Near Minturn	225	7 ft
Beaver Creek
At Avon	21	2 ft
Lake Creek
Near Edwards	79	1 ft
Cross Creek
Near Minturn	98	4 ft
Homestake Creek
At Gold Park	127	5 ft
Eagle River
East Fork Eagle River Near Climax	n/a	2 ft
At Red Cliff	30	3 ft
Near Minturn	234	4 ft
Wastewater Treatment Plant At Avon	671	5 ft
Below Gypsum	826	5 ft
Colorado River
Near Kremmling	402	4 ft
Near Dotsero	1,620	3 ft
Below Glenwood Springs	3,080	5 ft
Near Cameo	3,740	6 ft
Below Grand Valley Div Nr Palisade	2,160	5 ft
Near Colorado-utah State Line	4,080	4 ft
Near Cisco, Ut	4,100	3 ft
At Lees Ferry, Az	12,100	9 ft
Near Grand Canyon, Az	12,000	9 ft
Yuma Main Canal Ww At Yuma, Az	997	10 ft
Roaring Fork River
Abv Lost Man Cr Near Aspen	n/a	n/a ft
Ab Difficult C Nr Aspen	53	1 ft
Near Aspen	77	1 ft
Near Emma	464	6 ft
At Glenwood Springs	1,150	3 ft
Hunter Creek
Near Aspen	57	2 ft
At Aspen	49	4 ft
Frying Pan River
Near Ruedi	111	2 ft
Crystal River
Abv Avalanche Crk, Near Redstone	610	2 ft
Arkansas River
Ef Arkansas R At Us Highway 24, Nr Leadville	46	3 ft
Near Leadville	85	5 ft
Below Empire Gulch Near Malta	156	3 ft
Below Granite	453	4 ft
Near Nathrop	451	4 ft
At Parkdale	469	3 ft