Avalanche center issues warning

The Utah Avalanche Center has issued a warning against venturing into the backcountry in search of fresh powder.

"Large natural avalanches have occurred and will continue to occur in steep terrain at the mid and upper elevations," the U.S. Forest Service group said in its daily report Wednesday. "Human-triggered avalanches are likely and potentially fatal. Those without excellent avalanche skills are urged to avoid the backcountry."

Snowstorms that have hit the Salt Lake, Park City and Provo areas have led to an increased danger, the center said, ranking the avalanche danger as "considerable to high." Ogden and Logan were ranked moderate.

An avalanche was reported Wednesday near Snowbird. A snowmobiler was partially buried by an avalanche near Clayton Park on Tuesday.

"Let's be clear: The backcountry is exceedingly dangerous right now. You will trigger an avalanche if you decide to ski a steep slope and the mid and upper elevations," forecaster Drew Hardesty wrote in a summary of the Salt Lake conditions.

A skier was killed in an inbounds avalanche at the Snowbird Ski resort on Sunday. That same day, another skier was seriously injured in a backcountry avalanche near the Canyons ski resort when he was pinned between two trees.

"While the group made a serious lapse in judgment skiing the slope, they did execute a great rescue," the center said in a summary posted on its Web site, avalanche.org. "The tree pinning the victim was removed, as was the snow surrounding a torso. Next they constructed a makeshift stretcher and alerted emergency response teams via cell phone to their predicament."

— Ben Winslow