A skier in Utah was seriously injured after he triggered an avalanche Wednesday that dragged him down the mountain and buried him in feet of snow.
The person was skiing by himself along the northwest side of Thomas Fork of Neff’s Canyon when he caused the snowslide, which carried him down the Salt Lake City mountain and trapped him in “chest-deep” snow in a drainage of the trail, the Utah Avalanche Center said.
The person was stuck within the snow for about 45 minutes before one other skier heard his cries for help. The second skier called 911 and started helping the trapped skier out from the packed snow mound.
Rescue crews on foot and via helicopter arrived to assist the skier. He was taken on a snowmobile to a trailhead before he was transported to an ambulance.
“Dangerous avalanche conditions exist! The north-facing slopes which are harboring old weak faceted snow surfaces aren’t to be messed with,” the Avalanche Center said on Facebook.
The avalanche was the second in two days, the middle said.
Earlier this week, Utah was blanketed in fresh snow, which continued to fall on and off through Thursday. The fresh, unpacked snow makes for dangerous skiing conditions and may set off a slide.
On Tuesday, officials found the body of a skier who had gone missing the day before at Solitude Mountain Resort, roughly 17 miles from Neff’s Canyon.
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Devon O’Connell was last seen on a chairlift Monday at noon, and was reported missing several hours later, KSL-TV said. Search and rescue teams braved rough weather conditions overnight and located his body “just off of the Sensation ski run in some trees,” a Unified Police Department spokesperson said. The circumstances around O’Connell’s death haven’t yet been revealed.
The Solitude resort had gotten nearly 2 feet of snow inside 48 hours. Roads up the canyon were closed a part of Monday resulting from crashes.
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A skier in Utah was seriously injured after he triggered an avalanche Wednesday that dragged him down the mountain and buried him in feet of snow.
The person was skiing by himself along the northwest side of Thomas Fork of Neff’s Canyon when he caused the snowslide, which carried him down the Salt Lake City mountain and trapped him in “chest-deep” snow in a drainage of the trail, the Utah Avalanche Center said.
The person was stuck within the snow for about 45 minutes before one other skier heard his cries for help. The second skier called 911 and started helping the trapped skier out from the packed snow mound.
Rescue crews on foot and via helicopter arrived to assist the skier. He was taken on a snowmobile to a trailhead before he was transported to an ambulance.
“Dangerous avalanche conditions exist! The north-facing slopes which are harboring old weak faceted snow surfaces aren’t to be messed with,” the Avalanche Center said on Facebook.
The avalanche was the second in two days, the middle said.
Earlier this week, Utah was blanketed in fresh snow, which continued to fall on and off through Thursday. The fresh, unpacked snow makes for dangerous skiing conditions and may set off a slide.
On Tuesday, officials found the body of a skier who had gone missing the day before at Solitude Mountain Resort, roughly 17 miles from Neff’s Canyon.
Commercial
Commercial
Devon O’Connell was last seen on a chairlift Monday at noon, and was reported missing several hours later, KSL-TV said. Search and rescue teams braved rough weather conditions overnight and located his body “just off of the Sensation ski run in some trees,” a Unified Police Department spokesperson said. The circumstances around O’Connell’s death haven’t yet been revealed.
The Solitude resort had gotten nearly 2 feet of snow inside 48 hours. Roads up the canyon were closed a part of Monday resulting from crashes.
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