Avalanche kills skier at Jackson Hole
Aspen, CO Colorado
JACKSON, Wyo. ” An avalanche killed a skier at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
The avalanche Saturday afternoon carried 31-year-old David Nodine, of Wilson, Wyo., about 200 yards downhill and buried him under 8 feet of snow.
Resort spokeswoman Anna Olson said ski patrollers found Nodine within 6 minutes by homing in on signals from a transceiver he was wearing. Authorities said Nodine was uncovered within 10 minutes.
Nodine couldn’t be revived and was pronounced dead at a clinic at the resort base.
The avalanche happened inside the resort boundaries. Olson said ski patrol had taken normal precautions to reduce avalanche danger in the area before opening it to the public.
Such patrols usually involve the use of explosives to trigger avalanches.
“There isn’t an answer as to why that happened there at that time,” Olson said. “The snowpack appears to be doing this in pockets. Patrol will continue to take precautions.”
Nodine was skiing with a companion down an expert trail named Paintbrush. His companion also was caught by the avalanche but wasn’t buried or hurt.
Olson said the area had been opened for the first time this season Saturday. She said skiers made several runs on the slope before the avalanche struck.
It was the sixth avalanche death in North America this season.
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Aspen and Snowmass Village make the Aspen Times’ work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.
Start a dialogue, stay on topic and be civil.
If you don't follow the rules, your comment may be deleted.
User Legend: 
Moderator 
Trusted User
City of Aspen kicks in $1M for Moore open space acquisition
The city of Aspen and Pitkin County are partnering to buy a 274-acre tract of land off McLain Flats for $10 million on property owned by longtime residents Carolyn and Tom Moore.