Utah man triggers avalanche and saves brother buried under the snow
A man rescued his brother from a “large avalanche” he triggered while the pair were snowmobiling in Utah on Wednesday, authorities said.
Scenic alpine view of Wasatch Range in Utah. (Getty Images/Adventuure_Photo_
(CNN) — A man rescued his brother from a “large avalanche” he triggered while the pair were snowmobiling in Utah on Wednesday, authorities said.
The brothers were in the Franklin Basin area of Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest when one of them triggered the avalanche while “side-hilling in a bowl beneath a cliff band in Steep Hollow,” an initial accident report from the Utah Avalanche Center read.
He saw the slope “ripple below and around him” and was able to escape by riding off the north flank of the avalanche, according to the report.
But his brother, who was farther down the slope standing next to his sled, was swept up by the avalanche, carried about 150 yards by the heavy snow and fully buried, the avalanche center said.
Using a transceiver, the man was able to locate his brother underneath the snow, seeing only “a couple fingers of a gloved hand sticking out,” the report said.
The buried brother was dug out and sustained minor injuries, according to the avalanche center. The two were able to ride back to safety.
Toby Weed, a forecaster with the Utah Avalanche Center, said both men had the equipment necessary for backcountry travel. (KSTU via CNN Newsource)
The Utah Avalanche Center warned that similar avalanche conditions will be common in the area and are expected to rise across the mountains in North Utah and Southeast Idaho ahead of the weekend.
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