30-year-old Aspen man dies in early-morning snowboard crash

Authorities say a 30-year-old Aspen man died early Sunday morning after snowboarding in a closed ski area of Aspen Mountain and hitting a building near the base area on the west side.

The victim’s name was not released in a statement from the Pitkin County Sheriff”s Office, which said it learned of the incident at approximately 1:30 a.m.

The snowboarder struck a building near the base of the  mountain, about 200 yards uphill from the Lift 1A base, the Sheriff’s Office said, noting emergency personnel unsuccessfully tried life-saving measures on the man.

“The friend said the man wanted to go back up and do another run. The friend stayed at the base then heard a sound,” Pitkin County chief deputy of operations Alex Burchetta said Sunday afternoon.

Officials received the call from a friend of the victim saying the man had “injuries to the head,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. Burchetta said the victim was not wearing a helmet.

The friend, who is not from the Aspen area, said they had hiked onto the closed ski area after hours and rode down a run before and the man went back up.

The man’s name will be released pending notification of the family, the Sheriff’s Office said.

“We just want people to be aware that dangers exist everywhere, not just in the backcountry,” Burchetta said. “When you’re skiing in a closed area and at night, there are dangers.”