Snowboarders injured in separate avalanches

Two rare early-season avalanches just outside the boundaries of Brighton Ski Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon resulted in two snowboarders being injured Thursday afternoon.

About 1:30 p.m. three snowboarders were in the Pioneer Peak area when one got caught in a slide. The slide was approximately 150 feet long, 50 feet wide and 7 feet deep, said Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy Paul Christensen. The 20-year-old boarder was buried at the end of the slide, he said.

The man was not wearing an avalanche beacon, but his friends were somehow able to find where he was buried and pointed out the area to ski patrollers who were on the scene quickly, Christensen said.

"He was extremely lucky," he said.

It was unknown how long the man was buried. He suffered some cuts on his face and possibly some hypothermia but was otherwise in fair condition, Christensen said.

Not long after that incident, another boarder was caught in an avalanche in Hidden Canyon, an out-of-bounds area at the top of Great Western ski lift.

Six people were snowboarding when a slide about 150 feet long and 20 feet wide broke loose. A 24-year-old man was submerged by the avalanche, then popped back to the surface only to hit a tree, Christensen said.

He also was not carrying proper gear for going in the backcountry, he said.

The man was taken to a local hospital in "semi-critical" condition with head and facial injuries.

Salt Lake County Search and Rescue crews thought they had a third incident on their hands when two snowmobilers were reported caught in an avalanche. That call was determined to be false, and the search was called off about 4 p.m.

Christensen said Thursday's slides are a good reminder to all backcountry skiers and snowboarders to be prepared, even if it isn't the time of year avalanches typically happen.

"Carry beacons, carry shovels. You have to be prepared," he said.

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