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SALT LAKE CITY — A 52-year-old skier sustained a serious head injury when he was caught in an avalanche near Solitude Mountain Resort.
The Friday afternoon slide dragged him 200-300 feet downhill, authorities reported.
The name of the man, who was partially buried, was not immediately released.
He was skiing with two others in Silver Fork Canyon, said Unified police detective Ken Hansen, but they were not injured or buried in the slide.
"That was quite a way to travel," Hansen said. "Two hundred to 300 feet, you know he's going to hit things on the way down."
A medical helicopter took the man to a nearby hospital, and his condition later stabilized, Hansen said. Ski patrol and Unified police also responded.
No other injuries were reported in the slide that happened about 3:30 p.m.
Hansen said authorities don't yet know how the man got to the area where he triggered the avalanche or if he had a beacon or an airbag.
"If you're skiing at a ski resort, it's always best to say inbounds," Hansen said. "You don't know what you're going to get when you go out-of-bounds."
The Utah Avalanche Center has urged skiers and snowboarders venturing into the backcountry this season to be careful as daytime temperatures have largely hovered above freezing.
