Avalanche Kills 1 In Backcountry Near Aspen
ASPEN, Colo. (CBS4) - One person is dead after getting trapped in an avalanche late Monday afternoon near Aspen.
Rescue teams plan to retrieve the body on Tuesday from the slide area, which is located in the backcountry near Aspen resort.
The victim's identity has not been released.
Avalanche danger is high across Colorado after several days of heavy snow in many mountain areas.
The red shaded areas on the map depict where the danger is especially high, which is the case for much of the southern Colorado mountains: particularly down around the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the San Juan Mountains.
Throughout the state, new snow is falling on top of weak snow. Experts call these 'persistent slabs' because the new snow doesn't do a good job of bonding with the old snow, which looks and feels a lot like sugar.
These lower, sugary layers in the snowpack are causing some concern, prompting Colorado Avalanche Information Center to discourage travel in the backcountry, especially in the southern mountains.
The avalanche warning runs through noon on Tuesday.
