- A snowmobiler died in a Wasatch County avalanche while riding with his son.
- The Utah Avalanche Center issued warnings due to heavy snow falling on weak layers.
- Authorities advise avoiding avalanche terrain and using safety gear in the backcountry.
MIDWAY — A man was killed in an avalanche while riding a snowmobile in the Wasatch backcountry with his son on Wednesday, authorities say.
About 4 p.m., Wasatch County sheriff's deputies and search and rescue teams responded to a report of an avalanche in the Snake Creek area west of Midway. The man, whose name and age have not yet been released, and his juvenile son were riding snowmobiles in the area when the man was caught up and buried in it.
The son was able to locate his father through his avalanche beacon and dug him out of the snow, but the man was declared dead at the scene, Wasatch County officials said in a statement.
Utah Avalanche Center officials responded to the scene to collect more information about what triggered the slide.
It marks the first fatal avalanche of this snow year. Five people were killed in avalanches during the last snow season, according to the agency.
This week's storm pattern dumped more than 3 feet of snow in the Cottonwood canyons — directly west of the avalanche site — over the last few days, including as much as 4 feet at Alta Ski Area. The Utah Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning, citing "high" danger in the mountains due to heavy new snow falling on weak layers on the ground.
That warning has been extended through at least Friday morning, but similar alerts are possible this weekend.
The alert urges people to avoid all avalanche terrain, recommending that people seek slopes less than 30 degrees with no overhead hazards.
People heading into the mountains, especially the backcountry, should also not travel alone, and bring beacons, shovels and probes, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Commander Ryan Clerico.
"This is really, really high hazard," he told KSL on Wednesday. "That dry section in January really set us up for, kind of some scary avalanches in the next few days."
This story may be updated.
Contributing: Andrew Adams
