Man lost in Ogden avalanche

OGDEN — The search will resume this morning for a man presumed dead in an avalanche in a canyon near the Snowbasin ski resort.

Weber County sheriff's deputies said the 34-year-old man was snowboarding with a friend Saturday afternoon when they went out of bounds into Taylor's Canyon.

"They were skiing off the backside of Snowbasin," said Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Malan, motioning to the canyon near Mt. Ogden peak. "They triggered an avalanche. The friend got out of it and looked for him for about an hour."

The 32-year-old friend knocked on Matt Proudfit's door, asking for help.

"There was this kid there shaking," he said. "He said they'd come over the top of Snowbasin on snowboards. His friend was in the lead, they'd barely started down the hill."

Proudfit said the man told him he had been knocked unconscious after being caught up in the avalanche.

"When he came to, he couldn't find his friend," Proudfit said. "He said he didn't take his avalanche equipment."

Weber County sheriff's deputies, members of the Snowbasin Ski Patrol, several search dogs and a pair of helicopters looked for about four hours Saturday night for the man before abandoning the search because of bad weather and darkness. They hoped to resume the search in daylight today but were afraid weather would hamper their efforts.

"We flew the victim's friend up there and he pointed out the area," Malan said. "We searched as quickly as we could."

The avalanche debris field is approximately 50 to 100 feet long and 40 to 100 feet wide, searchers said.

A Snowbasin tram that takes skiers and snowboarders to the top of the mountain has drawn many people into dangerous backcountry areas, Malan said. Many people have chosen to ignore posted warnings, authorities said.

"We've had that tram since the Olympics," Malan said. "The whole mountain is open for skiing. It's something that's going to concern us more in the future."

Members of Ogden-area ski patrols say conditions are ripe for avalanches, with a lot of new snow and sunny days.

"If you're going to take that kind of a risk, take an avalanche beacon, an avalanche probe and a shovel," said Dave Damschen with the Powder Mountain Ski Patrol. He was on-scene Saturday, offering assistance to the Snowbasin Ski Patrol. Asked of the appeal to venture into dangerous backcountry areas, Damschen said it's the snow.

"Powder. Fresh powder, fresh tracks. It's sort of a nirvana," he said. People who have been in Taylor's Canyon said the area is great to ski, but dangerous.

"There's one shot that's beautiful," said Alan Abdulla, who has skied Taylor's Canyon. "It's steep, really steep. There's a lot of trees."

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