The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office says emergency dispatchers received a call Monday morning from Mountain Rescue Aspen saying the man had been caught in a slide in the Express Creek area of the Castle Creek Valley. Rescuers were able to dig the man out of the snow and perform CPR, but he was confirmed dead a short time later.
The victim's name has not been released. A team from MRA is retrieving the body. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center reports that the man was with a group of backcountry skiers staying at the Markley Hut.
A Special Avalanche Advisory remains in effect through 8pm tonight for the Aspen area, Grand Mesa, and the Flat Tops.
The CAIC says backcountry conditions are perfect for large and deadly avalanches. Since January 11, they've documented 10 people caught in avalanches and 44 slides triggered by backcountry travelers. There have been two avalanche-related fatalities this year in Colorado.