{"id":2441648,"date":"2019-03-12T20:20:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-13T02:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=301494"},"modified":"2019-03-13T10:04:42","modified_gmt":"2019-03-13T16:04:42","slug":"avalanche-expert-says-conundrum-slide-likely-a-300-year-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/avalanche-expert-says-conundrum-slide-likely-a-300-year-event\/","title":{"rendered":"Avalanche expert says Conundrum slide likely a 300-year event"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-301494-791\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Avalanche consultant Art Mears stands outside a home on Conundrum Creek Road Tuesday that was damaged last weekend by a massive avalanche. Mears designed the splitting wedge wall on the south side of the house that likely prevented its destruction.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5.jpg\" alt=\"Avalanche consultant Art Mears stands outside a home on Conundrum Creek Road Tuesday that was damaged last weekend by a massive avalanche. Mears designed the splitting wedge wall on the south side of the house that likely prevented its destruction.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Avalanche consultant Art Mears stands outside a home on Conundrum Creek Road Tuesday that was damaged last weekend by a massive avalanche. Mears designed the splitting wedge wall on the south side of the house that likely prevented its destruction.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | A view of the debris and tons of snow that was deposited in Conundrum Creek Valley by the avalanche down the K-Chutes and Five Fingers area of Highland Ridge.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-1.jpg\" alt=\"A view of the debris and tons of snow that was deposited in Conundrum Creek Valley by the avalanche down the K-Chutes and Five Fingers area of Highland Ridge.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>A view of the debris and tons of snow that was deposited in Conundrum Creek Valley by the avalanche down the K-Chutes and Five Fingers area of Highland Ridge.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | A splitting wedge, a protective wall, is evident Tuesday on the left side of this home in Conundrum Creek Valley. The Five Fingers slide path is in the background.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-2.jpg\" alt=\"A splitting wedge, a protective wall, is evident Tuesday on the left side of this home in Conundrum Creek Valley. The Five Fingers slide path is in the background.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>A splitting wedge, a protective wall, is evident Tuesday on the left side of this home in Conundrum Creek Valley. The Five Fingers slide path is in the background.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Art Mears, an avalanche expert from Gunnison, and his wife, Paula Lehr, hike Tuesday on the vast snow and debris flow left in the Condrum Creek Valley by an avalanche last weekend.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-3.jpg\" alt=\"Art Mears, an avalanche expert from Gunnison, and his wife, Paula Lehr, hike Tuesday on the vast snow and debris flow left in the Condrum Creek Valley by an avalanche last weekend.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Art Mears, an avalanche expert from Gunnison, and his wife, Paula Lehr, hike Tuesday on the vast snow and debris flow left in the Condrum Creek Valley by an avalanche last weekend.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Hundreds if not thousands of trees were bowed or broken by the avalanche from the K-Chutes and Five Fingers. They range from gangly aspens to mature conifers.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-4.jpg\" alt=\"Hundreds if not thousands of trees were bowed or broken by the avalanche from the K-Chutes and Five Fingers. They range from gangly aspens to mature conifers.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Hundreds if not thousands of trees were bowed or broken by the avalanche from the K-Chutes and Five Fingers. They range from gangly aspens to mature conifers.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-5.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Hundreds if not thousands of trees were bowed or broken by the avalanche from the K-Chutes and Five Fingers. They range from gangly aspens to mature conifers.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-5.jpg\" alt=\"Hundreds if not thousands of trees were bowed or broken by the avalanche from the K-Chutes and Five Fingers. They range from gangly aspens to mature conifers.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Hundreds if not thousands of trees were bowed or broken by the avalanche from the K-Chutes and Five Fingers. They range from gangly aspens to mature conifers.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-6-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-6.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Avalanche expert Art Mears and his wife, Paula Lehr, check out the avalanche path that started on Highlands Ridge.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-6.jpg\" alt=\"Avalanche expert Art Mears and his wife, Paula Lehr, check out the avalanche path that started on Highlands Ridge.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Avalanche expert Art Mears and his wife, Paula Lehr, check out the avalanche path that started on Highlands Ridge.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-7-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-7.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Avalanche expert Art Mears checked out the splitting wedge he designed to protect a house in Conundrum Creek Valley from slides. The specially angled wall diverts the high-density low level of snow in a slide.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-7.jpg\" alt=\"Avalanche expert Art Mears checked out the splitting wedge he designed to protect a house in Conundrum Creek Valley from slides. The specially angled wall diverts the high-density low level of snow in a slide.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Avalanche expert Art Mears checked out the splitting wedge he designed to protect a house in Conundrum Creek Valley from slides. The specially angled wall diverts the high-density low level of snow in a slide.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-8-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-8.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | A house in Conundrum Creek Valley suffered some exterior damage from a massive avalanche last weekend, but a protective wall prevented catastrophic damage.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-8.jpg\" alt=\"A house in Conundrum Creek Valley suffered some exterior damage from a massive avalanche last weekend, but a protective wall prevented catastrophic damage.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>A house in Conundrum Creek Valley suffered some exterior damage from a massive avalanche last weekend, but a protective wall prevented catastrophic damage.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-9-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-9.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Surveying the damage in the avalanche deposition zone in Conundrum Creek Valley.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-9.jpg\" alt=\"Surveying the damage in the avalanche deposition zone in Conundrum Creek Valley.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Surveying the damage in the avalanche deposition zone in Conundrum Creek Valley.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-10-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-10.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Surveying the damage in the avalanche deposition zone in Conundrum Creek Valley.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-10.jpg\" alt=\"Surveying the damage in the avalanche deposition zone in Conundrum Creek Valley.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Surveying the damage in the avalanche deposition zone in Conundrum Creek Valley.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-11-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-11.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | A massive slide off Highlands Ridge into the K-Chutes and Five Fingers merged into one run-out. The mountainside was scoured to the dirt.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-11.jpg\" alt=\"A massive slide off Highlands Ridge into the K-Chutes and Five Fingers merged into one run-out. The mountainside was scoured to the dirt.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>A massive slide off Highlands Ridge into the K-Chutes and Five Fingers merged into one run-out. The mountainside was scoured to the dirt.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-12-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-12.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | The avalanche roared down the west side of the valley with such velocity that it traveled a couple hundred feet up the east side and knocked down numerous trees.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-12.jpg\" alt=\"The avalanche roared down the west side of the valley with such velocity that it traveled a couple hundred feet up the east side and knocked down numerous trees.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>The avalanche roared down the west side of the valley with such velocity that it traveled a couple hundred feet up the east side and knocked down numerous trees.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-13-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-13.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Art Mears, a top consultant on avalanche avoidance and mitigation in the U.S., checks out the slide path in Conundrum Creek Valley on Tuesday.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-13.jpg\" alt=\"Art Mears, a top consultant on avalanche avoidance and mitigation in the U.S., checks out the slide path in Conundrum Creek Valley on Tuesday.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Art Mears, a top consultant on avalanche avoidance and mitigation in the U.S., checks out the slide path in Conundrum Creek Valley on Tuesday.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-14-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-14.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Art Mears, a top consultant on avalanche avoidance and mitigation in the U.S., checks out the slide path in Conundrum Creek Valley on Tuesday.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-14.jpg\" alt=\"Art Mears, a top consultant on avalanche avoidance and mitigation in the U.S., checks out the slide path in Conundrum Creek Valley on Tuesday.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Art Mears, a top consultant on avalanche avoidance and mitigation in the U.S., checks out the slide path in Conundrum Creek Valley on Tuesday.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-15-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-15.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Avalanche expert Art Mears and his wife, Paula Lehr, check out the avalanche path that started on Highlands Ridge.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-15.jpg\" alt=\"Avalanche expert Art Mears and his wife, Paula Lehr, check out the avalanche path that started on Highlands Ridge.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>Avalanche expert Art Mears and his wife, Paula Lehr, check out the avalanche path that started on Highlands Ridge.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"h-100\" data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-16-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-16.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | The veiw from the Conundrum Creek Valley floor on Tuesday shows that an avalanche scoured the Five Fingers path. A lage cornice is still visible on Highlands Ridge.\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/avyprone-atd-031319-5-16.jpg\" alt=\"The veiw from the Conundrum Creek Valley floor on Tuesday shows that an avalanche scoured the Five Fingers path. A lage cornice is still visible on Highlands Ridge.\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong>The veiw from the Conundrum Creek Valley floor on Tuesday shows that an avalanche scoured the Five Fingers path. A lage cornice is still visible on Highlands Ridge.<\/strong><br \/>\nAnna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a class=\"show-captions\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/avalanche-expert-says-conundrum-slide-likely-a-300-year-event\/#\">Show Captions<\/a><a class=\"hide-captions\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/avalanche-expert-says-conundrum-slide-likely-a-300-year-event\/#\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">A massive slide that swept down from Highlands Ridge into Conundrum Creek Valley last weekend was probably a 300-year event, a leading avalanche consultant said Tuesday while touring the site.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis is definitely a big one for Colorado,\u201d said Art Mears while surveying the <a id=\"N0x1199680N0x1351b90:N0x1199680N0x123bf78\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/historic-sized-avalanche-hits-conundrum-valley-southwest-of-aspen\/\">volume of snow and debris the avalanche deposited<\/a>. The only comparable slide he has seen in Colorado struck the Gothic area near Crested Butte in 1995, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Mears is an engineer from Gunnison who consults with governments and individuals to locate infrastructure and buildings where they will avoid avalanches. When structures are built in avalanche-prone areas, he helps create designs to mitigate the risk. He has worked on 1,100 projects in nine states and eight countries. He has designed several avalanche mitigation systems for homes in Pitkin County, including a \u201csplitting wedge\u201d concrete wall that probably saved a house at 1053 Conundrum Creek Road from getting flattened by last weekend\u2019s slide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The wall suffered no visible damage and it deflected most of the high-density lower layer of snow and debris in the avalanche. Some damage was sustained on the west end of the house. Reinforced glass held but an entire window frame was dislodged. Part of an upper-story wall was punched in but the house apparently didn\u2019t suffer any structural damage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The splitting wedge was designed to protect the house from a 100-year avalanche, per Pitkin County\u2019s requirements. That means there is a 1 percent risk of an avalanche that size happening every year. With a 300-year event, there is a three-tenths of a percent annual probability of an avalanche that size occurring.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The concrete wedge is 21 feet at the top and tapered down to 17 feet on the lower ends. The south leg is 110 feet long and the west leg is 90 feet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Tons of snow, trees and rock fell from the Five Fingers and K-Chutes on the west side of the valley. The avalanche fell with such force that debris shot more than 200 feet up the east side, wiping out additional trees. Then the debris spilled downvalley or to the north, where it buried the Conundrum Creek Trailhead and U.S. Forest Service facilities there. Much of the debris wrapped around the house to the east.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">However, it was clear from broken aspen and conifer trees surrounding the house that debris also ran into the wedge. Mears said there was likely enough material flowing that it bent the trees and caused some of them to break. Smaller aspen trees were smashed flat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Mears said the house would have been in a red or high hazard area if it didn\u2019t have the splitting wedge. The special wall dropped it to a blue or moderate hazard area. Without the wall, the house probably would have been heavily damaged by last weekend\u2019s slide, he said. The house was unoccupied at the time of the slide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The house was built in 1987, according to records in the Pitkin County Assessor\u2019s Office. An avalanche damaged it in 1996.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The current owner, listed as MW III Aspen LLC, bought the house and 25.8 acres in December 1998. The new owner applied to Pitkin County in 2001 to build the splitting wedge to protect the 5-bedroom, 5\u00bd-bath structure of nearly 5,000 square feet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In a report prepared for that application, Mears described the potential destructive force of a 100-year avalanche in that area.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe Five Fingers path produces a major avalanche which can involve more than 100 acres of snow during (a 100-year event) and falls about 3,500 feet to the Conundrum Creek Valley floor,\u201d his 2001 report said. \u201cMaximum velocities on the steep slope will exceed 110 mph.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He accurately predicted that the blast from the avalanche would ascend roughly 300 feet up the east wall of the valley.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Mears said Tuesday that despite its size, the avalanche probably only lasted about one minute. The powder cloud kicked into the air probably settled within another 30 seconds or so, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">There are additional avalanche chutes downvalley or north from the house. A slide in what\u2019s known as the Teepee Chute killed a man living in a teepee on adjacent property in February 1995.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Mears said Pitkin County has a lot of areas of high avalanche hazard because of its numerous valleys with steep slopes. The risk of damage to property is high because of the amount of development in the prone areas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While Pitkin County has a design standard for a 100-year avalanche event, Gunnison County has a 300-year standard, he noted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI believe, in my opinion, Pitkin County should (do) that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Pitkin County is a leader in land-issues in a lot of ways, Mears said, and avalanche mitigation should be another.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The <a id=\"N0x1199680N0x1351cb0:N0x1199680N0x123cab8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-highlands-ski-patrol-used-400-explosive-shots-in-bowl-durinig-historic-storm-cycle\/\">latest Conundrum avalanche<\/a> demonstrates why a great design standard may be needed. The width of the crown was estimated at 5,000 feet by investigators from the <a id=\"N0x1199680N0x1351d10:N0x1199680N0x123cb48\" href=\"https:\/\/avalanche.state.co.us\/\">Colorado Avalanche Information Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHighlands Ridge released naturally. Not a path or two off the ridge but everything from the Five Fingers to the K-Chutes,\u201d CAIC\u2019s report said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Multiple feeder paths share a common run-out, making the avalanche particularly destructive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">CAIC rated the slide a 4.5 out of 5 on the avalanche destruction scale. Mears said the destructive potential is difficult to assess. One way would be to return when the snow melts and date the age of the large conifers the avalanche took out, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While many avalanche experts don\u2019t feel it\u2019s possible to have a D5 avalanche in the Continental U.S., Mears said the Conundrum slide could well qualify.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\">scondon@aspentimes.com<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/avalanche-expert-says-conundrum-slide-likely-a-300-year-event\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Avalanche consultant Art Mears stands outside a home on Conundrum Creek Road Tuesday that was damaged last weekend by a massive avalanche. Mears designed the splitting wedge wall on the south side of the house that likely prevented its destruction. Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times A view of the debris and tons of snow that was [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2441648","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-15 06:28:26","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":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2441648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2441648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2441648\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2441648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2441648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2441648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}