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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Police say a ski patrol employee was caught in an avalanche and partially buried at Snowbasin ski resort.
Authorities say that Mike Erickson was doing avalanche control work and had just gotten out of the way of a slide he meant to trigger when another avalanche broke off above him Tuesday morning.
Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Brandon Toll says the rushing snow threw Erickson into a tree and tossed him through rocks and other debris before he came to rest at the bottom.
Toll says Erickson was taken to a hospital with injuries that likely include broken ribs, but he deployed a protective air bag that protected him from more serious harm.
Snowbasin is about 45 miles north of Salt Lake City.
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