Utah roads reopen after avalanches

• Utah Avalanche Center

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Utah roads reopen after avalanches

January 24th, 2010 @ 4:45pm

By Nicole Gonzales

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Avalanche Center is still warning people of high danger in Utah's mountains. Several canyons were closed temporarily Sunday for cleanup and control.

An avalanche forced the closure of Logan Canyon for a little over an hour. Little Cottonwood Canyon was also closed for a short time due to snow on the road.
Ryan Hunt saw the avalanche happen around 11 a.m. in Logan Canyon. "All the sudden we come around the corner and there was a truck that just stopped for the avalanche and there was some more snow sliding down behind him," he said.
Drivers didn't wait for help. They started digging out the snow themselves, anxious to make it up the canyon.
"They had sleds and snowboards and little shovels and everything they could think of. I even saw a pan out there," Hunt said.
The Utah Highway Patrol said no one was injured in that avalanche, which spread snow 20 feet wide and four feet deep across U.S. Route 89.
The Utah Department of Transportation closed the highway while crews cleaned up the mess. The road was back open by 12:30 p.m.
UDOT was also busy down in the Salt Lake Valley. Little Cottonwood Canyon was closed on and off for most of the morning.
It finally opened for good after three additional hours of avalanche control.
"We try to do it as quickly as possible. We want people to enjoy the ski resorts, after all we do have the greatest snow on earth, but we want to make sure we do it in a safe manner," said UDOT Spokesman Adan Carrillo.
UDOT does not make the decision to shut down a canyon alone. People from the town of Alta, along with the ski resorts, the U.S. Forest Service and the Unified Police Department have a say as well.
"Every time they see that there's a need to close a canyon it's a pretty hard decision. They have to coordinate with a lot of officials," Carrillo said.
The Utah Avalanche Center has all Utah mountains on high alert Sunday, especially after a man was buried by one on Friday. Luckily, he got out alive, but officials say it's a reminder to always be cautious.
"I can barely run to my car, much less out run an avalanche. So we'll stay down here where it's safe," said snowshoer Robin Knebel.
The Unified Police Department said there were no planned restrictions on either canyon Sunday night.
E-mail: ngonzales@ksl.com

Avalanche kills 1 near Snowbasin

Avalanche kills 1 near Snowbasin

January 24th, 2010 @ 7:59pm

WEBER COUNTY -- An avalanche killed one person near Snowbasin ski resort Sunday. The Weber County Sheriff's Office identified the victim as 42-year-old Todd Bell of South Weber.

Capt. Clint Anderson with the sheriff's office said Bell had been skiing with a friend around 1 p.m. The friend decided to go down a run in No Name Canyon and thought Bell would follow. Instead, Bell went down Hell's Canyon.
Several snowboarders were behind Bell and saw the avalanche happen. When they got to the bottom of the avalanche run, they noticed a hand and a coat sleeve sticking out of the snow. They pulled Bell out, began CPR and called 911 around 1:20. Bell was unconscious and not breathing.
When rescue crews arrived, they took over resuscitation efforts. They worked on Bell for more than an hour, but were unsuccessful.
Deputies said Bell was found close to the surface of the snow, so an autopsy will be performed to see if he died from trauma caused by debris.
At the same time, five snowboarders were going down nearby Cold Water Canyon and triggered several small avalanches. When they realized they wouldn't be able to get out of the canyon, they called for help.
None of the snowboarders suffered any injuries.
The Utah Avalanche Center on Sunday said that heavy snowfall and high winds are making for dangerous avalanche conditions in mountain backcountry areas throughout the state. The center urged people to stay out of those areas.
"It's never been more dangerous in the area," Anderson said.