RICH COUNTY — Family and friends are remembering a 37-year-old Evanston, Wyoming man who was killed after getting caught in an avalanche in the Monte Cristo Snowmobile Area. The slide occurred Monday afternoon near the Rich and Cache county line.

Tuesday, the Rich County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim as Scott Wright.

Wright was riding with a friend in the Whiskey Hill – Beer Hill area of Curtis Creek when he was caught, carried, and fully buried in the large hard slab avalanche. As there was no avalanche transceiver signal, the friend was unable to locate him and called 911 for help.

Deputies from the sheriff’s office and Rich County Search and Rescue were dispatched to the area just after 3 p.m. They reported the snow was very deep where the avalanche occurred and it took nearly four hours to locate Wright’s body.

Family members posted on social media about Wright’s death, describing the Evanston resident as a loving and kind man. Funeral services are still being arranged.

The Rich County Sheriff’s Office extended their sincere condolences to Mr. Wright’s family and friends. They also expressed appreciation to everyone for their help in the fatal incident.

Due to the remote location, crews from Cache County, Weber County, and a K-9 from Powder Mountain also joined the search. They were assisted by helicopters from Life Flight, and the Utah Department of Public Safety.

The sheriff’s office also thanked the Diesel Brothers, who provided their Black Hawk helicopter to retrieve Wright’s snowmobile.

The accident occurred as much of the mountain area of northern Utah are under considerable avalanche danger, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.

Avalanche Forecaster Toby Weed said avalanche conditions are dangerous in the backcountry after the past several days of unseasonable warmth that turned the snow to mush and destroyed the nice powder. Conditions are most hazardous on upper elevation slopes facing northwest through southeast, where natural wind slab avalanches remain possible, and people are likely to trigger dangerous wind slab avalanches.



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