20 March 2023 , 02:35
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At least one skier has been killed and two others buried alive in a terrifying avalanche.
The incident near a Colorado ski resort on Sunday came a day after the body of another avalanche victim was recovered in the state, authorities said.
A large avalanche struck the Maroon bowl area outside Aspen on Sunday, with three skiers caught up in the horrifying ordeal, the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office said.
Two of the skiers managed to escape, although one was injured. Further details about the victim were not immediately available.
Just 24 hours earlier, Colorado authorities had recovered the body of skier Joel Shute, 36, after he and two others were caught in a large back-country avalanche south-west of Marble in western Colorado.
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Joel Shute was found dead after an avalanche on Friday (GOFUNDME)Shute had been missing since Friday evening, when the avalanche swept 2,400 ft down a mountainside.
The avalanche was two to three feet deep where it began and up to 500 feet wide, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
Rescue teams found the victim's body buried in avalanche debris.
A skier and snowboarder who were with Shute survived. The snowboarder hiked out to get help and rescue teams evacuated the injured skier by helicopter.
Both were taken to the hospital, the Gunnison County Sheriff's office said.
Recent storms have raised avalanche risks, with 19 people killed across the United States by avalanches so far this winter, including nine fatalities in Colorado.
Avalanches in the winter of 2020-2021 killed 37 people nationwide, which was the most recorded by the avalanche centre in records going back to 1950.
Members of Shute's family said he was aware of avalanche dangers but was devoted to skiing.
The victim's mother, Lisa Gerstner, said he spent lots of time travelling and used his pilot's license to fly his father and friends for work trips and recreation.
"Skiing was Joel's life," brother Aaron Shute told KDVR-TV. "It was his passion and what he wanted to do with his life.”
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CAIC officials said in a statement reported by The Sun: "Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the people involved in this tragic accident.
“CAIC staff will visit the accident site on Monday, March 20, and we will publish a final report in the next week."