A member of a Colorado mountain search and rescue team died in a weekend avalanche outside the boundaries of the Aspen Highlands ski resort.
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center says two skiers were using climbing skins to ascend through an area called Maroon Bowl on Sunday when they were caught in an avalanche.
Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo says the slide killed 57-year-old John Galvin, a 30-year veteran of Mountain Rescue Aspen. A second skier was injured.
Safety concerns prevented rescuers from immediately recovering Galvin’s body.
Mountain Rescue Aspen President Justin Hood said Monday that Galvin helped save the lives of hundreds of people who were injured or stranded in the mountains.
The U.S. Forest Service National Avalanche Center says Galvin’s death was the 20th avalanche fatality in the United States this winter.
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