Cache County — Two brothers had “a very close call” with what the Utah Avalanche Center calls a “large avalanche,” while riding in the Franklin Basin area of Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest on Christmas Eve.
The man’s brother “saw the slope ripple below and around his sled, but was able to ride off the north flank of the avalanche,” writes Toby Weed, forecaster for the Utah Avalanche Center.
The man’s brother used his transceiver to locate his buried companion, seeing “a couple fingers of a gloved hand sticking out of the snow.”
“Remotely triggered avalanches remain possible, and dangerous avalanches might be triggered from flat terrain below steep slopes.
“Smooth meadows and grassy low-angle slopes in sheltered terrain offer the best powder riding options,” according to forecasters.
Cache County — While riding on Christmas Eve in the Franklin Basin region of Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, two brothers experienced “a very close call” with what the Utah Avalanche Center describes as a “large avalanche.”.
In Steep Hollow, the first accident report states that a local snowmobiler was standing beside his sled, observing his brother ride above him across a steep section bowl under cliffs.
According to Utah Avalanche Center forecaster Toby Weed, the man’s brother “saw the slope ripple below and around his sled, but was able to ride off the north flank of the avalanche.”.
“The slide, which was about 500 feet wide and 2 feet deep, struck the spectator and carried the man about 150 yards, completely burying him,” Weed says.
When the man’s brother used his transceiver to find his buried friend, he noticed “a couple fingers of a gloved hand sticking out of the snow.”. Despite being dug out and suffering minor injuries, both of them managed to safely exit the backcountry.
At the moment, forecasters at the center say that a persistent weak layer is “widespread in upper-elevation terrain” of northern Utah and that “very poor snow structure plagues most slopes.”. “..”.
“Dangerous avalanches could be triggered from flat terrain beneath steep slopes, and remotely triggered avalanches are still possible. However, the center notes that a hazardous avalanche might hold off on releasing until a rider exits the slab in the middle. The Bear River Range is particularly vulnerable to these threats.
According to the center, backcountry skiers and sledders are not the only people at risk from avalanches. Rain soaking the shallow snow caused at least six wet avalanches to occur on Monday in the vicinity of Temple Fork and above the Logan River. When fishing, anglers must also exercise caution to avoid falling into a “classic terrain trap.”.
An accumulation of 6 to 10 inches is expected at higher elevations on Wednesday during the storm cycle, according to forecasters, and “copious snowfall will continue Thursday night and Friday, and on through the weekend and into next week.”. “.”.
Additionally, according to the center, the storms have caused “a significant increase in backcountry avalanche danger in the mountains of northern Utah” due to drifting overload slopes, heavy snow, and persistently weak layers and poor snow structure. “.
Forecasters say that the best places to ride powder are on grassy low-angle slopes and smooth meadows in protected areas.
