Skier narrowly escapes avalanche cascading down slope, Utah video shows
A skier narrowly avoids a soft slab avalanche of new snow on a ridge near Park City, Utah, a video shows.
The video, posted by Michael Fischer to YouTube, shows two skiers zip down the slope at Dutches Draw, Conehead, on Saturday, Feb. 17.
When a third skier starts down the slope, huge slabs of snow break loose and begin sliding down the mountain beside him, the video shows.
The alert skier veers to the right as the avalanche continues down the slope to avoid being caught up in the cascading snow, the video shows.
“Always be avalanche aware,” Fischer cautioned on the YouTube post.
The 50-foot wide avalanche took place at an elevation of about 10,000 feet, a report to the Utah Avalanche Center said. The center recorded more than 50 avalanches in Utah since Friday, Feb. 16.
What to know about avalanches
Avalanches happen quickly and catch people by surprise. They can move between 60 and 80 mph and typically happen on slopes of 30-45 degrees, according to experts.
Skiers, snowmobilers and hikers can set off an avalanche when a layer of snow collapses and starts to slide down the slope.
In the U.S., avalanches are most common from December to April, but they can happen at any time if the conditions are right, National Geographic reported.
At least eight people in the U.S. have died in avalanches this season as of Tuesday, Feb. 20, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
People heading into snow should always check the local avalanche forecast at Avalanche.org, officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, and have an avalanche beacon, probe and shovel ready.
“Emergency services are usually too far away from the scene of an avalanche, and time is important,” Simon Trautman, a national avalanche specialist, said. “A person trapped under the snow may not have more than 20 or 30 minutes. So, in a backcountry scenario, you are your own rescue party.”
If an avalanche breaks out, it’s best to move diagonal to the avalanche to an edge, Trautman said.
“Try to orient your feet downhill so that your lower body, not your head, takes most of the impact,” officials said. “You may also get into a tight ball as another way to protect your head.”
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