{"id":25498,"date":"2019-06-16T14:56:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-16T20:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/popular-pearl-pass-road-between-aspen-and-crested-butte-wont-open-this-year-because-of-massive-avalanche-debris\/"},"modified":"2019-06-16T14:56:00","modified_gmt":"2019-06-16T20:56:00","slug":"popular-pearl-pass-road-between-aspen-and-crested-butte-wont-open-this-year-because-of-massive-avalanche-debris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/local-news\/popular-pearl-pass-road-between-aspen-and-crested-butte-wont-open-this-year-because-of-massive-avalanche-debris\/","title":{"rendered":"Popular Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte won\u2019t open this year because of massive avalanche debris"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery\" readability=\"6.743661971831\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-367527-810\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times | Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.<\/strong><br \/>Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3.jpg\" alt=\"Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times | Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.<\/strong><br \/>Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-1.jpg\" alt=\"Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times | Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.<\/strong><br \/>Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-2.jpg\" alt=\"Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times | Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.<\/strong><br \/>Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-3.jpg\" alt=\"Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times | Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.<\/strong><br \/>Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-4.jpg\" alt=\"Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-5.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times | Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.<\/strong><br \/>Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/06\/pearl-atd-061519-3-5.jpg\" alt=\"Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports\/popular-pearl-pass-road-between-aspen-and-crested-butte-wont-open-this-year-because-of-massive-avalanche-debris\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports\/popular-pearl-pass-road-between-aspen-and-crested-butte-wont-open-this-year-because-of-massive-avalanche-debris\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">There will be no Food &amp; Wine festivities for the Mayor of Pearl Pass this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Instead, Carl Buckingham will be spending this weekend \u2014 and probably most days this summer \u2014 trying to dig out Pearl Pass Road from under tons and tons of avalanche debris that came down during this big-snow winter. Asked if he thinks the extremely popular four-wheel-drive road between Aspen and Crested Butte will open this summer, Buckingham\u2019s answer was immediate and unequivocal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cNo,\u201d he said Friday afternoon standing along the road. \u201cThere\u2019s too much volume here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The main problem lies a little more than a mile up the road from the Pine Creek Cookhouse at the back of the Castle Creek Valley. At that point, four-wheel-drives, bikers and hikers are stopped dead in their tracks by two avalanche slides \u2014 one from each side of the road \u2014 that meet on the road in the middle and continue down the valley. The slide on the valley\u2019s east side is an avalanche path through aspen trees that slides most years, though it was wider this year, Buckingham said. The slide on the west side just below Greg Mace Peak, however, has never been known as an avalanche area.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis is old-growth spruce,\u201d he said of that avalanche path. \u201cIt\u2019s never, ever slid before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The massive swath punched a huge hole in the forest below the peak, taking down 100-foot-high spruce trees that may be 200 years old, and depositing them at the bottom of the slope where the road is located, said Buckingham and Pitkin County Public Works Director Brian Pettet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Buckingham has spent the past four weeks trying to clear the road of tree trunks, some of which measure 36 inches in diameter, as well as hard-packed snow, ice and other debris. Asked how much progress he\u2019s made in those four weeks, Buckingham laughed: \u201cAbout 200 feet.\u201d Above that swath of spruce and aspen trees on Pearl Pass Road are three more avalanche slides, though those brought down mainly snow, Buckingham said. He said he\u2019s been asking hikers coming down from the pass if they\u2019ve seen a bridge a few miles up the road. None have reported seeing it, he said. Pearl Pass Road is a popular summer route for serious four-wheel-drive aficionados. Buckingham said he\u2019s been helping clear the road for 29 years for other four-wheel-drive fans like him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cPeople come from all over the country (to drive the road),\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the classic, hardcore Colorado four-wheel-drive trails. It\u2019s well-used.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While it\u2019s technically a Pitkin County road, county road officials are taking a hands-off approach at this point, Pettet said. It\u2019s unlikely the county will put much, if any, effort toward opening the road this summer because it needs to put resources elsewhere, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Pitkin County commissioners have signed off on leaving the road as it is for the time being to allow snow and ice to melt, Pettet said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Meanwhile, Buckingham said Friday he will likely keep at it until the snow flies again. But don\u2019t expect miracles, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis year, it\u2019s not happening,\u201d Buckingham said of opening the road. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s possible \u2014 but no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/sports\/popular-pearl-pass-road-between-aspen-and-crested-butte-wont-open-this-year-because-of-massive-avalanche-debris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times Scenes of avalanche debris near Pearl Pass Road between Aspen and Crested Butte.Jeremy Wallace \/ The Aspen Times Scenes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-25498","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-12 02:44:04","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KIFT - The LIFT FM","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25498\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}