http://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=18073250&title=avalanche-near-snowbird-kills-1
LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON — A man reportedly has been killed in an avalanche near Snowbird.
More information will be posted as it becomes available.
The avalanche is at least the fifth reported in Utah since Saturday, including three triggered by skiers or snowboarders.
Three of the slides were reported near Alta Ski resort which is not yet open for the season, and the other two were near Snowbird, which is also still closed.
Two skiers were caught in a slide near Little Chute near Alta on Sunday. Some skis were lost but no one was injured, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.
Another slide was triggered by a skier in the Gunsight region of Alta on Sunday. The Avalanche Center reported at least one skier was injured but did not have an immediate condition on the individual. The victim was reportedly a man in his 40s who suffered a hip injury.
Yet another slide was triggered by a skier in the Eagle's Nest area of Alta. Again, no injuries were reported.
On Saturday, a snowboarder testing the snow near Gad Valley near Snowbird triggered an avalanche that was about 100 feet wide, 200 feet long and a foot deep, the avalanche center reported. No one was injured.
Because of the new batch of snow that fell from the past storm on top of snow that had been there since October, avalanche forecasters classified the avalanche danger on east facing slopes above 9500 feet as "considerable."
"Make no doubt that conditions are ripe for someone to get caught in an avalanche," forecasters said on their website Sunday. "The combination of higher density snow and gusty wind were the perfect combo for slab formation over our preexisting weak early season snow. Collapsing has been a consistent comment in back-country observations all week and continued yesterday."
LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON — A man reportedly has been killed in an avalanche near Snowbird.
More information will be posted as it becomes available.
The avalanche is at least the fifth reported in Utah since Saturday, including three triggered by skiers or snowboarders.
Three of the slides were reported near Alta Ski resort which is not yet open for the season, and the other two were near Snowbird, which is also still closed.
Two skiers were caught in a slide near Little Chute near Alta on Sunday. Some skis were lost but no one was injured, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.
Another slide was triggered by a skier in the Gunsight region of Alta on Sunday. The Avalanche Center reported at least one skier was injured but did not have an immediate condition on the individual. The victim was reportedly a man in his 40s who suffered a hip injury.
Yet another slide was triggered by a skier in the Eagle's Nest area of Alta. Again, no injuries were reported.
On Saturday, a snowboarder testing the snow near Gad Valley near Snowbird triggered an avalanche that was about 100 feet wide, 200 feet long and a foot deep, the avalanche center reported. No one was injured.
Because of the new batch of snow that fell from the past storm on top of snow that had been there since October, avalanche forecasters classified the avalanche danger on east facing slopes above 9500 feet as "considerable."
"Make no doubt that conditions are ripe for someone to get caught in an avalanche," forecasters said on their website Sunday. "The combination of higher density snow and gusty wind were the perfect combo for slab formation over our preexisting weak early season snow. Collapsing has been a consistent comment in back-country observations all week and continued yesterday."
