Avalanches claim lives in Utah

Two skiers in two separate avalanche accidents have died in the backcountry of Utah this past week.

According to reports, Ricardo Presnell from Cottonwood Heights, died after being caught in an avalanche near the Solitude Ski Resort near Salt Lake City.

The large slide was said to be approximately 800 feet long and 400 feet wide and forced the victim into an area of trees. Another man was also caught in the slide but suffered only minor injuries. While all members of the skiing party were said to be carrying shovels and probes it was estimated the victim was buried for around 15 minutes.

This was the second tragic incident to hit Utah in the last week. Last Sunday another man, Todd Bell from South Weber, passed away after getting caught in an avalanche just outside Snowbasin.

It’s been reported that between 4 to 7 feet of new snow has fallen quickly on an older snowpack.

Posted by Brendon on January 29th, 2010 in Backcountry and Snowbasin and Solitude Ski Resort and Utah

Brendon @cherrypow

Hi, I'm Brendon, editor and one of the co-founders of CherryPow. When work isn't calling I'm planning the next snow adventure and writing about it.