Colorado, 2000

Avalanche in Colorado, January 25, 2000

January 25, 2000 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A cross-country skier was caught in an avalanche which occurred in Hurricane Gulch, about 5 miles south of Aspen. the avalanche was 120 feet wide and 150 feet long.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.

A cross-country skier was caught in an avalanche which occurred in Hurricane Gulch, about 5 miles south of Aspen. the avalanche was 120 feet wide and 150 feet long. The victim was found about two hours later buried under six feet of snow and debris. The avalanche was a result of recent heavy wet snowfall on an old icy snowpack which resulted in a weak snow layer.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.

Avalanche, Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys/Aspen and Vicinity

When
January 25, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys/Aspen and Vicinity forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.481, -107.172 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Avalanche, Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys/Aspen and Vicinity2000-01-2537MaleOutside/Open AreasDirect

What these are

Avalanche
A mass of snow sliding down a mountainside that caused a death, an injury or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, January 2000

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5130839.