Avalanche Outside Aspen Kills 1

One person is dead following an avalanche outside Aspen Monday, authorities said.

At 1:27 p.m., the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that avalanche in the area of the Markley Hut "caught one individual & has claimed the life of that individual."

The person who was killed, who has not yet been identified, was part of a group of backcountry tourers staying at the Markley Hut, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The group was able to locate and extricate the person who became buried in the avalanche and tried to revive them, but their efforts were unsuccessful, the CAIC said.

The CAIC had warned of dangerous avalanche conditions through Monday in the area.

"Backcountry travelers can easily trigger very large and deadly avalanches," the CAIC said. "Avalanches may break across terrain features and run long distances. Since January 11, the CAIC has documented 10 people caught in avalanches, 44 avalanches triggered by backcountry travelers, and over 280 avalanches in total. Backcountry travel this weekend will require conservative decision making, cautious route finding, and careful snowpack and terrain evaluation."