Aspen resident Marty Gancsos died of asphyxia, with a blunt-force back injury as a “significant contributing factor,” in last Monday’s avalanche on Aspen Mountain, according to the Pitkin County coroner’s office.
The coroner’s office released the cause of death Friday evening, listing the manner of death as accidental.
Gancsos skied out of bounds with another person Monday in terrain west of Ruthie’s Lift. His skiing partner, who has not been identified, was unhurt and reported the accident to the Pitkin County sheriff’s office.
Gancsos, 64, was an adventurous skier and kayaker who had skied that same backcountry terrain before.
Familiarity with terrain is often what gets people into trouble, Aspen zone forecaster Blase Reardon, of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, told The Aspen Times last week while referring to changing snow conditions.
The avalanche center’s preliminary findings from Monday’s slide reported that the avalanche was 20 feet wide at the highest point of the crown face, but widened to about 60 feet after traveling a short distance.
“Though the slide was relatively small, it had disproportionately severe consequences because of the steepness of the track and the number of trees in the path,” according to the report.
Gancsos’ death marked the third avalanche death in Colorado for the season and the first death in the Aspen zone in two winters.
