12,095′ Independence Pass, CO, Closed For the Season After Snow Buries the Road There’s now only one way for motorists to get in and out of Aspen until late May. The Colorado Department of Transportation announced yesterday it had closed the Independence Pass winter gates on Highway 82 between Aspen and Twin Lakes for the season after a foot of snow blanketed the scenic bypass over the weekend. Related: 12,183′ Trail Ridge Road in […] SnowBrains | October 31, 2023 0 Comments
12,095′ Independence Pass, CO, Will Open for the Summer on Thursday May 27th Hwy-82, Independence Pass, in Colorado, will open for the summer as scheduled at noon on Thursday, May 27th, a Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) spokeswoman said yesterday. Crews have been working hard on the 12,095-foot pass to clear snow, rockfall, and avalanche debris. Independence Pass crosses the Continental Divide at 12,095 feet above sea level and connects Aspen and Twin […] SnowBrains | May 25, 2021 0 Comments
VIDEO: Skier Triggered and Caught in Avalanche Near Independence Pass, CO on November 9, 2020 The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) has had several reports of skier triggered avalanches the past couple of days. Related: Utah Avalanche Center Warn of the Dangers of Early Season Snow The video above is of a skier triggered avalanche in Mountain Boy Basin near Independence Pass on Nov. 9. The skier was caught and carried but was able to […] Avalanche AvyBrains | November 10, 2020 0 Comments
Trip Report: Independence Pass, CO – Couloir Skiing on the Last Day of Summer The fall equinox was today (September 22, 2020), marking the official end of summer. What better way to send off summer than with a great day of couloir shredding in the high country? Two weeks ago, a late summer storm brought the Rocky Mountains up to two feet of snow in some places. The wind-loaded chutes and gullies with up to four […] Trip Report Clay Malott | September 23, 2020 0 Comments
Couple Trapped in Vehicle Overnight After Driving Off Independence Pass, Near Aspen, CO At approximately 11:20 a.m. on Friday, August 21, 2020, the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center was notified by the Colorado State Patrol of an unknown injury accident in the area of mile marker 61 on Colorado State Highway 82. Mile marker 61 is the summit of Independence Pass and is also roughly the boundary between Pitkin and Lake County. […] SnowBrains | August 24, 2020 0 Comments
David Lesh Fined $500 and 50-Hours Public Service For Snowmobiling on Independence Pass, Aspen, CO Former pro-skier David Lesh, 35 was yesterday fined $500 and ordered to perform 50 hours of public service this summer for illegally riding his snowmobile near the summit of a snowless Independence Pass near Aspen, CO last year. “We’re happy to see the charges were filed and went through.” White River National Forest supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams Three Aspen-area ecologists were astounded […] Industry News SnowBrains | June 17, 2020 2 Comments
UPDATE: Snowmobiler Broke Both His Legs in Independence Pass, CO Avalanche Earlier This Month Two snowmobilers triggered an avalanche near Independence Pass in Colorado on April 7, that caught, carried, and injured one of them. Additional information from the CAIC has just been released, detailing the extent of the snowmobiler’s injuries. The organization said in a Facebook post: On April 7, a snowmobiler triggered and was caught in an avalanche south of Independence Pass. […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 15, 2020 0 Comments
Snowmobilers Trigger Avalanche Near Independence Pass, CO: 1 Caught, Carried, and Injured The Colorado Avalanche Information Center is reporting that two snowmobilers triggered an avalanche near Independence Pass in Colorado yesterday evening, April 7. One snowmobiler was caught, carried, and injured in the slide. Below is the preliminary report by the CAIC: Two snowmobilers were riding in the Mountain Boy Gulch area near Independence Pass. Riders 1 and 2 rode several times […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 8, 2020 0 Comments