Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON — A backcountry skier triggered an avalanche west of Brighton on Thursday and narrowly missed being swept down the steep slope.
The skier was ascending Pioneer Ridge west of Brighton and did a slope cut on a steep north-facing slope, the Utah Avalanche Center reported. He triggered a "deep, wide avalanche that fractured out all the snow to the ground."
The skier was fortunate not to be carried down in the avalanche as it would have been difficult to survive the steep and rocky ride, the center said.
The Avalanche Center has issued a level 3 warning for Salt Lake area mountains above 9,500 feet in the northwest, north, northeast and east-facing slopes.
Visit utahavalanchecenter.org for the most current conditions.
