Photo of a reported avalanche in Franklin Basin, Sunday, March 20, 2022. (Courtesy: Utah Avalanche Center)
LOGAN — A snowmobiler is lucky to be alive after being caught in an avalanche Sunday. The slide was reported near Crescent Lake Canyon, west of Franklin Basin, in Logan Canyon.
According to the Utah Avalanche Center, the rider triggered the avalanche from high on the slope near the crown and so he was not deeply buried. He was caught, separated from his sled and carried downhill about 150 feet by the avalanche.
When the slide stopped, the rider was mostly buried near a small tree, with his head and right arm waving out of the snow. His sled was damaged in the accident and mostly buried up against a large tree about 30 feet uphill from where the rider ended up, with only one ski visible.
Another rider in the group saw the waving arm and was able to get to him within about a minute of the avalanche. He was quickly rescued by his companions and didn’t suffer any injuries. He was later able to ride his broken sled out of the back country.
The group said they were trained in avalanche rescue and had emergency equipment with them. They had also checked the avalanche forecast before leaving.
Saturday, a group of snowboarders reported an avalanche in the same area. The group was riding down a northeast facing slope, when they triggered several slides, about 150 feet wide that traveled about 500 feet down the mountain side.
None of the snowboarders were caught in the slides.
The Utah Avalanche Center reports areas with unstable snow, dangerous avalanche conditions, and considerable danger on northerly facing upper and mid elevation slopes steeper than 30 degrees.
People could trigger dangerous slab avalanches, up to two feet deep and a couple hundred feet wide, failing on a buried persistent weak layer of faceted snow.
Sunday’s wind drifted snow in the upper elevations, added to the overload on slopes with poor snow structure, and people also could trigger small slabs of wind drifted snow and/or cornice falls in steep upper elevation terrain.
Forecasters report the snow is stable and the danger low in sunny lower and mid elevation terrain.
will@cvradio.com