Near Marble, Colorado today. Heading up one of the avalanche paths, amazing evidence of destruction from last winter’s record slides. Nope, it’s not a yucca plant, it’s a busted aspen tree… I’ve seen many trees nuked, but never one that exploded into splinters like this. Makes a beacon and shovel look slightly inadequate.
 |
| This aspen tree must have twisted while it was being broken, or something else that made it splinter into so many twigs. |
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Louis Dawson has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain. He published his memoir, Avalanche Dreams: A Memoir of Skiing, Climbing, and Life in 2024.
