Snowslides prompt more avalanche alerts

SNOWBASIN — Avalanche forecasters are amping up their warnings following a fatal snowslide near a Weber County ski resort and a brief entombment of an Alta ski patrol worker on Sunday.

Heavy snowfall has been reported in mountainous areas throughout the state, and the Utah Avalanche Center says the avalanche danger remains extremely high, especially in backcountry areas, prompting a high danger alert.

Five snowboarders riding in the Hell's Canyon area near Snowbasin Ski Resort noticed a piece of a jacket sticking up out of the snow at the bottom of a slide where an avalanche had recently occurred. Upon digging, they soon realized the jacket was attached to a man who was unconscious and not breathing.

Weber County sheriff's dispatchers were alerted about 1:30 p.m., and Life Flight and fire officials brought the body of 42-year-old Todd Bell of South Weber out of the canyon, which is an out-of-bounds area adjacent to the resort, said Snowbasin spokeswoman Jodi Holmgren.

Authorities say Bell had been skiing with a friend at the resort that afternoon and planned to go down a run called "No Name." The friend veered right down the run, but officials believe Bell went off left into Hell's Canyon and was caught and buried by an avalanche, said Weber County Sheriff Sgt. Brandon Toll.

The sheriff's office is continuing its investigation.

Hell's Canyon was the site of a similar fatal avalanche in February 2007 when a 17-year-old Massachusetts boy was buried under six feet of snow while traversing the out-of-bounds area.

In another avalanche-related event Sunday, an Alta ski patrol worker was briefly buried just after 9 a.m.

Other ski patrol personnel freed him within 90 seconds in the Greeley Bowl area, and Alta general manager Onno Wieringa said the worker is fine and will be back to work Monday.

The ski resort opened later than usual Sunday and was working to open a few remaining closed areas.

An avalanche closed U.S. 89 in the Temple Fork area of Logan Canyon for about an hour Sunday, and Little Cottonwood Canyon also was closed that morning after a large avalanche across the road. Both were reopened by noon Sunday.

Avalanche Center director Bruce Tremper warned that skiers heading into the backcountry areas like Hell's Canyon should be even more careful.

"Out of bounds, there's no one watching out for you," he said. "If you go out there, you need to carry all the proper rescue gear."