Avalanche warning issued for northern and central Utah backcountry

Daily Herald file photo
Ski team members head down the mountain on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, at Sundance Mountain Resort.Dangerous avalanche conditions are expected in the northern and central Utah backcountry through the weekend, the Utah Avalanche Center warned Thursday.
The UAC expects the danger risk to rise to high in many areas of the state because of strong winds and heavy snowfall, according to a press release.
“Because the new snow will overload weak, pre-existing faceted snow, avalanches may be triggered from hundreds of feet away, making for particularly tricky and dangerous conditions,” the UAC said.
UAC Director Paige Pagnucco told the Daily Herald the heaviest snowfall will be in the northernmost areas of the state, but added that the Provo-area mountains are still expected to receive 1-2 feet through the weekend.
Pagnucco warned skiers at Sundance Mountain Resort to be cautious leaving the area.
“If people decide to leave the ski area boundary, they will be heading into potentially very dangerous avalanche conditions,” she said.
The first accident of the season occurred Tuesday in the Logan-area mountains. According to the UAC, a snowmobiler was caught, carried and fully buried by an avalanche. He was rescued by his partner using an avalanche transceiver.
The UAC offered the following advice to avoid avalanche danger:
- As avalanche danger increases, staying out of backcountry avalanche terrain is the safest option. Avoid being on, under, or near slopes steeper than about 30 degrees.
- Check everyone in your group for operational avalanche rescue gear, and be sure everyone knows how to use it.
- Skiers and riders leaving resort boundaries should know they may enter avalanche-prone terrain.
- If you go into the backcountry, don’t go alone. If you must go into avalanche terrain, cross steep slopes one person at a time while your companions watch from a safer location.