CACHE COUNTY, Utah (KSL.com) — 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.
A local snowmobiler was standing next to his sled, watching as his brother rode above him across a steep section bowl beneath cliffs in Steep Hollow, the initial accident report says.
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.
On the other hand, a dangerous avalanche may wait until a rider gets out in the middle of the slab before it releases,” the center reports.
The danger of avalanches does not just apply to backcountry skiers and sledders, the center said.
In the Franklin Basin region of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest on Christmas Eve, two brothers had “a very close call” with what the Utah Avalanche Center refers to as a “large avalanche” (KSL . com).
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.”.
Weed claims that the spectator was struck by the roughly 500-foot-wide and 2-foot-deep slide, which carried the man about 150 yards before completely burying him.
After using his transceiver to find his buried friend, the man’s brother noticed “a couple fingers of a gloved hand sticking out of the snow.”. Although he was dug out and suffered minor wounds, both of them managed to safely exit the backcountry.
Forecasters at the center say that an ongoing weak layer is “widespread in upper-elevation terrain” of northern Utah at the moment, and that “very poor snow structure plagues most slopes.”. “”.
“Dangerous avalanches may be triggered from flat terrain beneath steep slopes, and remotely triggered avalanches are still possible.”. A hazardous avalanche, however, might hold off on releasing until a rider exits the slab in the middle, according to the center. In the Bear River Range, these risks are particularly significant.
Backcountry skiers and sledders are not the only people at risk from avalanches, the center stated. Monday saw at least six wet avalanches in the vicinity of Temple Fork and above the Logan River, “because of rain soaking the shallow snow.”. Additionally, fishermen must exercise caution to avoid falling into a “classic terrain trap” while fishing.
A storm cycle is expected to bring 6 to 10 inches of accumulation to higher elevations on Wednesday, according to forecasters, and “copious snowfall will continue Thursday night and Friday, and on through the weekend and into next week.”. “”.
According to the center, severe snow and drifting overload slopes with widespread persistent weak layers and poor snow structure are also contributing to “a significant increase in backcountry avalanche danger in the mountains of northern Utah.”. “.”.
Forecasters state that the best places to ride powder are in sheltered areas with grassy low-angle slopes and smooth meadows.
