Snow and Avalanches in Utah 

Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center 

In partnership with: 

Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation 

Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center 

National Weather Service 

Utah Department of Public Safety 

Salt Lake County 

Annual Report 2006-2007 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

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Cover photo: A severe drought in the first half of the winter turned what little existing snow into 

extremely weak, depth hoar. When snow finally started falling in February, hair-trigger avalanche conditions existed on almost all slopes. Utah Avalanche Center Director, Bruce Tremper was able to intentionally trigger this large avalanche by jumping on a very gentle part of the slope from the ridgeline 

above. Here, he is examining the crown fracture while his field partner waits in a safe spot. The avalanche was over a quarter mile wide. 

All photos in this report are taken by the staff of the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center unless otherwise noted. Compiled and Edited by Bruce Tremper & Brett Kobernik 

All content written by Utah Avalanche Center Staff: Bruce Tremper, Evelyn Lees, Drew Hardesty, 

Brett Kobernik, Craig Gordon and Toby Weed. Copies of this report can be obtained by writing, calling or e-mailing: 

Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center 

2242 W. North Temple 

Salt Lake City, UT 84116 

801-524-5304 phone 

801-524-6301 fax 

Or view online at: uac@avalanche.org 

www.avalanche.org and click on Salt Lake 

 Bruce Tremper examines the fracture of a very large, natural avalanche on the Park City ridgeline. 

The fracture was 5-8 feet deep and about a half mile wide. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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Table of Contents 

Memory of Ed LaChapelle ...................................................................... 3 

Overview—Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center ......................................... 5 

Season Highlights ................................................................................. 13 

Backcountry Observers Program................................................................ 14 

New This Season ................................................................................. 17 

Sponsors.................................................................................... ......... 23 

The “Know Before You Go” Program........................................................... 26 

Wasatch Season Summary .......................................................................... 38 

Uinta Season Summary.............................................................................. 45 

Logan Season Summary............................................................................. 62 

Avalanche Incidents and Accidents .............................................................. 64 

Avalanche Education .............................................................................. 74 

Media Contacts .................................................................................... 78 

Budget ................................................................................................ 79 

Media Articles ....................................................................................... 82 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

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In Memory of Ed LaChapelle 1926 – 2007 

Ed LaChapelle, generally considered the grandfather of American avalanche research, died of a heart 

attack on February 1st. He was skiing powder with his two close friends, Knox Williams and Art Mears 

and his wife Meg Hunt at Monarch Ski Area in Colorado. Although Ed lives in McCarthy Alaska, he 

was in Colorado to attend the memorial service of his ex-wife and close friend Delores LaChapelle just 

a week before. 

It’s fair to say that Ed’s figured out most of what we now know about avalanches through his pioneering research at Alta from 1951 through 1972. He directly mentored most of the leading avalanche professionals in the U.S. and indirectly mentored the following generation through his many publications, 

books and his generous personal communications. 

Ed earned degrees in physics and math from the University of Puget Sound in 1949. Following a longtime interest in avalanches and skiing, he spent the winter of 1950-51 studying under avalanche scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Snow and Avalanche Research in Davos, Switzerland, including the 

famous Andre Roch. The following winter, he landed a job as a snow ranger at Alta working for Monte 

Atwater. Together, they formed a formidable powerhouse of avalanche research an innovation in 

which they pioneered using hand charges, military weapons and avalaunchers for avalanche control—

the same methods routinely used today. Ed also was instrumental in creating the avalanche beacon and 

he invented much of the technology and techniques we now use for avalanche forecasting. 

Ed spent his summers working as a glaciologist in Greenland, the Juneau Icefield and on the Blue Glacier in Washington. After he left Alta in 1972, he worked as an avalanche researcher in the San Juan 

Mountains of Colorado and then became an instructor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at 

the University of Washington until his retirement. 

Ed visited Utah for a couple weeks every winter since he left in 1972 and he was always very generous 

with his avalanche knowledge and wisdom. I had many wonderful conversations with him through the 

years and I even sat him down with a tape recorder at one point to capture many of his old stories. I 

would often tell him about something unusual I had seen in the snowpack and he invariably had a concise, explanation for it in just a few words could completely change the way I thought about the snowpack. For instance, Alaska avalanche expert Doug Fesler has always taught using what he calls the 

“bull’s eye approach” in which you zero in on the essential information—something he learned from Ed 

always preaching to go for the “low entropy” information. Similarly, I have always preached that, “The 

snowpack is just like people—it doesn’t like rapid change.” I stole this from Ed as he used to say, “Any 

rapid change in the mechanical or energy state of the snowpack is a precursor to avalanching.” And 

finally, at the International Snow Science Workshop in Telluride, Colorado this past fall, Ed set the 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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room abuzz when he stood up and asked a question after someone’s talk. “I see all of these static tests 

being presented and the snowpack is dynamic. Is there any dynamic testing going on? Otherwise don't 

you think it is like throwing a blanket over a herd of cats and trying to follow what the cats are doing? 

Are you really getting to the problem?” 

Ed was a wonderful human being, soft spoken, wise, always a smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eye, 

an engaging, down-home storyteller, with a steel-trap, systematic, ingenious mind. He always seemed 

to be followed by a small army of friends and admirers. And after an astoundingly productive lifetime 

studying avalanches, he died with his close friends skiing powder. We all wish we could be so lucky. 

Bruce Tremper 

Ed LaChapelle with a ring he placed in the Blue 

Glacier many years ago melted out in more recent times 

As a glaciologist in Greenland 

early in his career. 

Operating a ram penetrometer at Alta Teaching an avalanche class with 

Monty Atwater at Alta. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

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The Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center—An Overview 

Our goal: 

Help keep people on top of the Greatest Snow on Earth instead of buried beneath it. 

Where do avalanche accidents occur? 

Ninety nine percent of all avalanche fatalities occur in the backcountry—areas outside of ski area 

boundaries where no avalanche control is done. Ski areas and highway avalanche control crews routinely knock down avalanches with explosives before the public arrive each morning. They have done 

their jobs so well that since 1980, less than one percent of avalanche fatalities have involved general 

public on open runs at ski areas or on open highways. 

What kind of people get caught in avalanches? 

Ninety two percent of people killed in avalanches since 1985 have been recreationists, and they are 

almost always very skilled in their sport. In almost all cases their skill in their sport significantly outpaces their avalanche skills. Looking at the most recent 5 years of national data, nearly twice as many 

snowmobilers have been killed as any other user group, followed by climbers, backcountry skiers, 

snowboarders and miscellaneous recreationists such as hikers and snowshoers. 

How do people get caught? 

In 93 percent of avalanche fatalities, the avalanche was triggered by the victim or someone in the victim’s party. Which is actually good, because most of the time, we can avoid avalanche accidents 

through our route finding and snow stability decisions. 

In summary, avalanche fatalities occur almost exclusively in the backcountry, almost always involve recreationists, and almost all avalanche incidents can be avoided if we choose. 

We give backcountry travelers the weapon of knowledge. In order to avoid triggering avalanches, 

backcountry travelers need: 

Critical, up-to-date avalanche information. 

Our avalanche advisories give the public critical avalanche information they need to make their life-anddeath decisions in avalanche terrain and we forecast snow stability and weather trends into the future. 

Our information helps the public to decide what kind of terrain is safe, what kind is dangerous and we 

give them useful clues to look for when they venture into avalanche terrain. 

The public can access these advisories in the following ways: 

• The Internet 

• Recorded telephone message updated each day 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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• Live interviews each day on three different public radio stations 

• E-Mail 

• In times of extreme or unusual avalanche conditions, we issue an avalanche warning that reaches 

all the broadcast and print media as well as NOAA weather radio. 

Finally, we “preach the avalanche gospel” as much as possible to the local, national and international 

media. The Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center staff has been featured on dozens of national and 

international documentaries about avalanches and they regularly appear on the national television 

news. 

Avalanche Education: 

The UAC staff teaches about 30 free, basic avalanche awareness classes each season and the Know 

Before You Go program teaches 120 classes and reach over 22,000 people per year. These not only 

give the public an overview of the avalanche problem, but also some basic avalanche skills. These 

classes encourage the public to take a more involved avalanche class offered by the private sector. 

Our web site is our newest focus on avalanche education. Our very popular encyclopedia which explains many terms used in backcountry travel using photos, diagrams and innovative flash animations. 

Using web photo galleries with captions explaining different aspects and routines in simple terms is a 

very effective way in teaching inexperienced backcountry users. We are also providing more detailed 

information for advanced users in the form of snowpit diagrams and seasonal weather history charts. 

How We Help Solve the Problem: 

Just because people read or hear the information doesn’t mean they pay attention. Therefore, we try 

to make the advisories entertaining so that people will remember what they read and hear and enjoy 

the experience enough to use the advisories regularly. We try and use all the standard tools of effective writing and speaking such as using active voice, first person, personal examples and stories to illustrate points, humor where appropriate and reading the bulletins in a natural voice, like talking to a 

friend. The recorded bulletins are informal, chatty and funny, yet informative. The Internet-based 

products are graphically-based and easy to understand. 

 

We believe local forecasters do a much better job than distant forecasters. 

Local people know local conditions better. They can get out in the mountains every day, they see 

weather and snow out their window and they talk with people on the street about it. Because of this, 

we believe that local people should issue avalanche bulletins for local areas, as long as they have the 

avalanche skills to do so. For this reason, four crews of avalanche forecasters operate in Utah, one 

forecaster operates in Logan, four in Salt Lake City, one in the western Uinta Mountains and two others cover the Manti Skyline and the La Sal Mountains near Moab. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

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We believe in a strong field-based program. 

Avalanche forecasting is just as much art as science. And because of this, computers never have, and 

most likely never will, be able to forecast avalanche hazard as well as an experienced and skilled human 

being. Avalanche forecasting works best when the forecaster has an intimate, daily connection to the 

snowpack. We notice that the longer we spend in an office, the more out of touch with the snowpack 

we become. Therefore we always put in one or more field days before our forecasting shift, and we 

seldom have more than two forecast days in a row. 

This is our philosophy and it seems to be working. More people access the UAC bulletin each season 

than any other avalanche advisory in North America, and the number keep increasing by an average of 

20 percent per year. The numbers of people going into the backcountry keep increasing exponentially, 

yet the death rate has risen more slowly. We also see an increasing demand for avalanche education 

and information, not only by Utahans, but also by the national and international media. 

The number of snowshoers are increasing faster than any other user group because it is inexpensive, easy to 

learn and it is a wonderful way to enjoy winter. We are working to educate snowshoers and bring them into 

Utah’s avalanche culture. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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A Look Under the Hood 

The UAC is operationally separated into four entities: 

The Logan area Mountains (Wellsville and Bear River Ranges). 

Wasatch Mountains (Ogden, Salt Lake, Park City and Provo area mountains) 

Western Uinta Mountains (Mirror Lake Highway, Weber Canyon, Evanston WY, Daniel’s Summit) 

Manti Skyline (FairviewCanyon – Wasatch Plateau) 

La Sal Mountains (near Moab) 

Toby Weed staffs the Logan operation. A generous contribution from the Utah State Parks funds this 

position. 

Based in Moab, Max Forgensi and Dave Medara forecast not only for the nearby La Sal Mountains but 

they also issue weekend forecasts for the Wasatch Plateau—Manti Skyline area. The Moab office is 

located in the Moab Ranger District on the Manti-La Sal National Forest and us supported by both the 

Moab Ranger district and a generous contribution from Utah State Parks. 

Craig Gordon issues forecasts for the western Uinta Mountains, does the lion’s share of avalanche education for snowmobilers in northern Utah and runs the Know Before You Go education program. 

This position is supported by a generous contribution from Utah State Parks. 

 

Last, but not least, the vast majority of the backcountry use occurs in the Wasatch Range of northern 

Utah. A staff of four full time workers covers the Ogden, Salt Lake City, Park City and Provo area 

mountains—arguably the most heavily used mountain range in the U.S. Bruce Tremper, in his 21st 

season, is the Director. The rest of the very experienced Salt Lake staff include: Evelyn Lees, Drew 

Hardesty and Brett Kobernik. All are Forest Service employees under the Wasatch-Cache National 

Forest. The Salt Lake office is co-located with the National Weather Service at the Salt Lake International Airport. 

Finally, a private, nonprofit group, the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, contracts a number of 

“volunteer” observers, who receive $10 per day for taking the extra time to call or e-mail their observations after they return home at the end of an outing. They also hire the intrepid Bob Athey as a full 

time backcountry observer. 

The Utah Avalanche Center is a Forest Service program under the Wasatch-Cache National Forest 

and the Manti-La Sal National Forest, in partnership with Utah State Parks and Recreation, Utah State 

University, the State of Utah Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, Salt 

Lake County, the National Weather Service and private contributions through the Friends of the Utah 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

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Avalanche Forecast Center. 

The public can access the bulletins in the following ways:

Telephone:

All Areas (courtesy of Backcountry.com) (888) 999-4019 

Manti Skyline (courtesy of Utah State Parks) (800) 648-7433 

Snowmobile hotline (courtesy of Utah State Parks) (800) 648-7433 

Radio Stations - live on-air reports each morning 

KRCL 91 FM (7:50 am weekdays) 

KPCW 92 FM ((8:06 am weekdays) 

All other radio stations via both long and short podcasts. 

Internet:

www.utahavalanchecenter.com (Friends of Utah Avalanche Center) 

www.wrh.noaa.gov/Saltlake (National Weather Service) 

E-mail: 

We offer daily automated e-mail of the advisories free of charge. About 2,000 e-mails are sent each 

day. 

To contact our office: 

(801) 524-5304 (phone) 

(801) 524-4030 (fax) 

e-mail: uac@avalanche.org 

How We Generate Avalanche Advisories 

We split our time more or less equally between the mountains and the office. For the Wasatch Range, 

a staff of four people rotate through the office in which one person comes in at 4:00 am to issue the 

forecast for the day while the others either head into the mountains to look at avalanche conditions, 

teach avalanche classes or come into the office at a more reasonable hour to work on various computer or education projects. 

Field Day: 

A typical field day might begin at 6:00 in the morning. Like most avalanche professionals, we click on 

our trusty NOAA weather radio shortly after getting out of bed for the latest weather forecast., then, 

we fire up our home computer to look at the data from all the automated mountain weather stations. 

Like everyone else, we call our own avalanche advisory to get the latest information. Finally, after calling the forecaster for the day to check out, we jump in the car or on the bus and head for the moun-
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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tains. 

The forecaster in the field usually travels on skis or snowmobile or both, using all the usual safety 

equipment like electronic avalanche beacons, shovels, probes, belay rope and cell phones. We seldom 

have a regular patrol area, but simply go to the area that concerns us the most, or to a place that we 

know is representative, where we can safely look at snow on a variety of aspects, elevations and terrain types. We almost always go into the backcountry—meaning areas outside ski area boundaries 

where no avalanche control is done. Field days are often very labor intensive affairs, using climbing 

skins on skis to huff-and-puff to the top of a mountain, take off the skins, ski down into another valley, 

put the skins back on again, go to another ridge, and so on. Along the way we dig a number of “snow 

pits” in which we systematically test the stability of the snowpack. In more remote areas, we use 

snowmobiles to access avalanche terrain. 

Field information comes from many different sources, but the most powerful information usually 

comes from snow pits we dig on a variety of different slopes, or better yet, from profiles dug at the 

fracture lines of recent avalanches. A snow pit, like the name implies, is a hole dug in the snow about a 

5 feet deep and 5 feet wide. On a smoothed snow pit wall, we perform a variety of stress tests to determine the stability of the snowpack and document the shear properties of weak layers. We also 

look at the crystallography of the various layers—crystal type, size, strength, water content and density, as well as measure temperature profile. Practiced avalanche professional usually take about 15 

minutes for each snow pit. We would rather dig several quick pits in several areas than do one detailed 

pit in one specific area because we want to know the distribution of the pattern so we can communicate the pattern to the public. 

We also test the stability of the snow in other ways, such as sawing off cornices, which bounce down 

the slope, we keep close track of the pattern of recent avalanches and we always pay very close attention to the present snow surface because it's much easier to map a layer of snow when it's still on the 

surface then after it's buried by the next storm. Finally, when we get home, we write up our observation, graph the snow pit profiles and e-mail them to the avalanche center and also leave a detailed message on our answer machine in the office, which the forecaster will hear early the next morning. Often, we post photos of the day on our web site as well. Finally, each evening, we often call the person 

who will forecast the next day and talk to them in more detail, catch up on news of the day and 

bounce theories off each other. The days invariably end up being long, often racking up unpaid overtime. 

It takes years of experience and training to be an accomplished avalanche forecaster, not to mention to 

be able to do it safely. Most of our staff have degrees in some kind of physical science such as meteorology or geology. We also have a number of years experience doing avalanche control at ski areas, 

plus, all are accomplished mountaineers with many decades of accumulated mountain experience and 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

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several are veterans of mountaineering expeditions throughout the world including Nepal, South 

America and Alaska. Finally, we all stay in top physical condition so we can efficiently cover lots of terrain. 

Office:

The forecaster for the day usually rises at 3:00 am—earlier on storm days—and arrives at our office, 

co-located with the National Weather Service near the Salt Lake Airport, around 4:00 am. There's 

only one avalanche person in the office, so the pressure and time constraints are intense. 

First, the lead weather forecaster for the National Weather Service briefs us on the general weather 

setup and then it’s time to jump on the National Weather Service computers and give the weather an 

even more detailed look, so it can be adapted to specific mountain areas. Then, we check our answer 

machines, faxes and e-mails for field observations not only from our staff, but from a dedicated corps 

of volunteer observers, ski areas, helicopter skiing companies and highway control programs. Next, 

the forecaster has to face a blank computer screen and type up a detailed narrative of snow stability 

and mountain weather and customize the advisory for five different zones in northern Utah. After the 

advisory goes out via e-mail and on the Internet, we begin recording the advisories into six different 

telephone systems, each located in a different local calling area for northern Utah and each one customized for a different area. Finally, we, do three live radio interviews. By 8:15 am, we’re done and 

we collapse with relief, take that bathroom break we've needed for the last couple hours and take a 

walk outside and watch the sun rise and hope that our information is accurate. Thousands of people 

access the advisory over the Internet, even more hear it on the radio and an average of 230 people call 

the avalanche recording each day. 

Then, just when many people are eating their breakfast, we eat lunch. After lunch—or is it breakfast—there’s never a lack of telephone calls to answer, reports to write, spreadsheets and web sites to 

update, computer projects and media contacts. Finally, we issue the detailed mountain weather forecast by about noon, then head home by 1:00 pm. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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The National Weather Service: a very valuable partner. 

We cannot sufficiently express the gratitude for our partnership with the National Weather Service 

(NWS). Larry Dunn (an avid backcountry skier in his free time) is the head of the NWS in Salt Lake 

City. The NWS provides office space, internet connections, space on the NWS computer server, as 

well as, most importantly, weather data and weather forecasting. 

Since weather sculpts avalanche conditions, weather is obviously important in avalanche forecasting. 

Each morning the avalanche forecaster on duty speaks with the NWS lead forecaster on duty about 

current and upcoming weather. Then we use the state-of-the-art, NWS computers to refine the forecast for the mountains. Each morning, we serve as the intermediary and exchange a plethora of information back and forth between the NWS forecasters and all the avalanche workers in the mountains 

responsible for public safety. 

We would like to thank all of the lead forecasters along with everyone else who works in “the Circle” 

at the NWS for providing such great info and being a pleasure to work with. Randy Weatherly, a computer programmer at the NWS, also deserves thanks for putting up with pesky questions from the 

UAC forecasting staff on computer issues. He is unfortunate enough to have an adjoining cubicle and 

he routinely provides simple fixes to everyday computer issues along with insight to computer programming languages. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

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Season Highlights 

• Utah experienced a very dry winter—the driest winter since 1977 and the fourth driest winter in 

62 years of record keeping at the Alta Guard station where 356 inches of snow fell compared to 

the average of 500. 

• A thin snowpack means a weak snowpack. In this case, it was extremely weak, bottomless depth 

hoar. So when it finally started snowing in February, we experienced an extremely dangerous avalanche cycle with very large avalanches breaking to the ground. The dangerous conditions lasted 

for most of the month. And when the snowpack warmed up in spring, we experienced a similar 

cycle of very large wet slab avalanches. Only the old-timers had ever experienced these conditions before and it was a great learning experience for the less experienced. 

• Because of the dry winter, Utah experienced fewer unintentional, human-triggered avalanches in 

the backcountry than usual—88 compared to the usual average of around 100. Unfortunately, we 

still experienced our average avalanche fatalities per season of four. One of these fatalities was in 

central Utah near Richfield, which is outside our forecast area. The others include two skiers and 

a snowmobiler. Total there was 88 unintentional human triggered avalanches in the backcountry, 

43 people were caught, 17 were partially or totally buried, 9 were injured and 4 killed. In addition, 

four other Utah residents died in avalanches out of state, two snowmobilers in Idaho and Montana 

and two climbers in Alaska during the spring mountaineering season on Mt. McKinley. 

• We received 2.5 million hits to our web site making the UAC the most heavily used avalanche center in North America. The Internet is by far the most popular way to get avalanche information as 

only 4 percent of the people who access the advisory do so over the telephone. 

• The Know Before You Go program, which is directed to young adults is administered by UAC staff 

member, Craig Gordon. Instructors include Craig Gordon and a cadre of trained, local avalanche 

professionals. The KBYG program taught an incredible 119 presentations, which directly reached 

over 22,00 people. In addition, the UAC staff taught in 33 avalanche classes this season, which directly reached over 3,000 students. 

• Because of the dry winter, national and international media contacts were much less than normal 

although local contacts remained about the same. For the first season in many years, we did not 

do any interviews for national or international television. We did interviews and/or were quoted 

by seven national publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Boston Herald Journal. We were interviewed 19 times by local television stations, seven times by local radio and nine times by local print media. 

• The Utah Legislature voted for an additional $122,000 in one-time funding to the Utah Avalanche 

Center for next winter, which would come through the Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation. Unfortunately, State Parks also decided to cancel their usual $82,000 contribution to the 

Utah Avalanche Center for next winter, which comes from diminishing snowmobile registration 

fees. Instead, they want us to apply for the same money through the Recreation Trails Program 

grant program. Because the grant money is not guaranteed and it does not arrive until too late in 

the season we would not be able to use the funds for the 2007-08 season So combined with an 

estimated $40,000 shortfall from rising costs, it appears that we will have the same amount of 

money next season as this season. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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Backcountry Observers Program 

Once again, both paid and unpaid observers through out northern Utah helped keep us informed about 

avalanche activity, their thoughts on snow pack stability, and photos and snow profiles of recent avalanches. As we only have one to two people in the field each day, these extra eyes and brains out 

there are a tremendous help. 

A big thanks goes to the unpaid and underpaid observers whose steady stream of information keeps 

our email and phone answering machines in-boxes full. Whether it’s just once a season or on a weekly 

basis, every observation we receive is another piece in the snow stability puzzle we’re trying to complete. 

The excellent paid volunteer observer’s program was started in the late 80’s under Brad Meiklejohn, 

and continues to provide indispensable snowpack information to the staff forecasters. These people 

receive a very small token of thanks each time they make the effort after a long day in the backcountry 

to email or phone in an organized observation, often accompanied by photos and pit profiles. The extra effort made by these knowledgeable backcountry travelers and observers to email and phone in 

great observations makes a huge difference in the morning for us. There have been big changes in the 

last 15 years, including many more observers, an increased quality in observations and the use of the 

Internet to send information. 

In addition, the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center’s observers program was again an incredible success. The program is made up of two parts, contract observer Bob Athey and the paid “volunteers”. 

Starting in the early 1990’s , Bob Athey was contracted by the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center 

to do observations in the field and report his daily findings. He also is an instructor for the two avalanche education courses the Friends offer each year. Bob’s detailed compilations of text, photos and 

snow profiles that document his observations are informative and accurate. Bob also has a very keen 

sense of the winter snowpack and years of backcountry travel experience that makes it possible to investigate avalanches in areas where many other avalanche workers would not be willing to visit. Bob’s 

years of experience in the Wasatch are probably his biggest asset to the UAC. Through the years, Bob 

has become Utah’s most recognizable denizen of the Wasatch backcountry with his long red hair and 

beard along with his colorful personality. He is otherwise known as the Wizard of the Wasatch. 

Next season, however, it appears that Bob Athey will no longer work as a full time observer. Because 

of funding issues and changing priorities, both the UAC staff and the board of the Friends of the UAC 

decided that limited funds would be better spent in other areas. Also, field work is the part of our job 

we enjoy the most, so it makes little sense to pay some else to do it. We would rather spend the 

money on computer programming and administrative help so we can spend more time in the field, 

which will improve the quality of our forecasts. This decision was not an easy one and it has been the 

subject of much debate over the past several years. This decision has nothing to do with the quality of 

Bob’s fine work, but it just reflects changing priorities and changing times. There is no way we can 

properly thank Bob for his many years of hard work and the benefit of his hard-earned wisdom. 

The experienced and active group of Ogden observers continued to keep information about the 

Ogden area mountain snowpack flowing into our office on an almost daily basis, and they also helped 

with accident site investigations. Their information is seasoned by many years of skiing and boarding in 

the Ogden area mountains, a true locals knowledge. We are still looking for growth in our observer 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

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Only 4 percent of the people access the 

forecast via the telephone. Although it is 

a low number, we find that many people 

use the telephone on days they are going 

into the mountains so it is essential to 

continue this service. 

Web Hits 2006-2007

65333

38210

25557

781662

576450

1

1484

534

1870

343

2482

2

4112

4988

7

5265

824

9740

1

9938

1705

2

13494

1908

22927

204626

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

800000

Advisories

Photos

Encyclopedia

Weather

Accidents

Snowpits

Weather Links

Avalanche List

Seasonal Wx

FAQ

Media quick facts

FUAC

Long Podcast

Video

Short Podcast

Maps

Avy Class List (UAC)

MP3 Advisory

Avy Scale

KYBG

Media Page

Utah Access to Advisory

4%

96%

Phone Calls Internet Advisory Hits and E-Mails

C a lls to U A C R ec o rd ed A va la n c h e A d vis o r p e r D a y - 2 0 06 -0 7 - U tah S ta te w id e

4 0 ,0 0 0 to tal

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

11/11/200611/18/200611/25/2006

12/2/200612/9/2006

12/16/200612/23/200612/30/2006

1/6/2007

1/13/20071/20/20071/27/2007

2/3/2007

2/10/20072/17/20072/24/2007

3/3/2007

3/10/20073/17/20073/24/20073/31/2007

4/7/2007

4/14/2007
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

16 

0

500000

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Calls and Internet Accesses

1977197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007

Season

Total Product access per Season

Other Internet Hits

Photo Internet Hits

E-mail Advisories

Internet Mountain Weather

Internet Bulletin

State Snow-mobile Hotline

Total Statewide Calls

709,508

28,692 15,199 16,975 11,288

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

Wasatch Logan western

Uinta

La Sal Manti

Skyline

Avalanche Advisories by Area 2006-07
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

17 

New for the 2006-2007 Season 

The Utah Avalanche Center implemented many new items and procedures for the 2006-07 season to 

help provide more people with a wider range of avalanche information for all types of users. The staff 

began working on a tiered approach to providing the appropriate information to the appropriate users. 

While much of our most visible work occurs during the winter, many behind the scenes projects happen when it’s blistering hot and the last thing on anyone’s mind is snow. The FSUAC applied for and 

received a Forest Service Centennial Grant for $30,000 allowing us to further our outreach efforts in 

an attempt to curb the recent tide of avalanche fatalities involving uninformed winter recreationists. 

Since nearly 90% of all avalanche fatalities in Utah involve backcountry users who either don’t know 

our services exist or simply fail to get updated information, we felt the first thing to do is become 

more recognizable, branding ourselves and our product with a bold new logo. 

NEW LOGO 

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center updated their logo, which is used on the web page that 

hosts Utah Avalanche Center products, fundraising and outreach programs. Scott Aucutt, a local 

graphics designer, hammered out a number of different concepts, before the FUAC and the UAC staff 

agreed on a clean, visibly distinguishable logo. It proved to be a 

very popular bumper sticker and the smaller stickers now appear 

on many snowboards, skis and snowmobiles. It has been hard to 

keep them in stock, which is the sure sign of success. 

NEW WEB DOMAIN AND TOLL FREE TELEPHONE 

HOTLINE 

We felt we needed to make it easier for people to remember 

how to get our information, whether by Internet or phone line. 

Last year the Friends of the UAC purchased the domain name 

utahavalanchecenter.com. As for telephone lines, in the past we 

had a different telephone line for each local calling area in northern Utah, which was hard to publicize, and impossible to fit into a 

10-second TV sound bite. We had always dreamed of having a toll-free number for all of Utah, but 

alas, it was the same old problem—too expensive. Luckily, longtime partner Backcountry.com stepped 

up to the plate offering us a toll free phone number, routed through their all-ready-existing phone system. After much debate, the avalanche center chose 1-888-999-4019 as the number. We debated between an easy-to-remember number and a cleaver acronym, but most of us from the non-textmessaging generation find it easier to dial numbers than letters. So the number was the easiest-toremember number we could find that was available. It has been a huge hit and we want to thank Backcountry.com for their ongoing partnership and commitments, helping us save lives. 

US CIVIL EMERGENCY WARNING SYSTEM 

A new procedure this year was implemented by all of the avalanche centers across the United States 

officially becoming part of the US Civil Emergency Warning System. This gives avalanche centers the 

ability to issue Avalanche Watches and Warnings through the Warning system, helping us to reach a 

broader segment of the public in times of dangerous avalanche conditions. The UAC implements these 

procedures through the National Weather Service who generously provides a home to the Utah Avalanche Center in the Salt Lake Forecast Office. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

18 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS 

“In the theaters alone, over a million people saw the PSA’s. “ 

We use a tiered approach to avalanche information in which users can get basic, intermediate or advanced information depending on their needs. In the past, we have catered more to the intermediate 

and advanced users because most accidents came from those user groups. In more recent years, however, more and more beginner users have been getting killed in avalanches in obviously dangerous conditions in obviously dangerous places. Thus, with the Centennial Grant, we could finally reach out to 

the most vulnerable user- the uniformed backcountry enthusiast. We’ve always struggled to get our 

avalanche message to the masses and another prong of our outreach approach was an aggressive partnership with established media outlets. Beginning with local newspapers posting regional avalanche danger ratings, to TV stations who air the next days backcountry danger, we’re reaching out to tens of 

thousands of viewers, but still there’s always users who slip through the cracks. In an attempt to reach 

everyone, especially families where avalanche awareness 

could be passed along to every user group and generation, 

we produced two 30 second Public Service Announcements (PSA’s) which aired in local Park City and Salt Lake 

theaters and on three TV stations in the Kamas, Park City 

and Salt Lake valleys. In the theaters alone, over a million 

people saw the PSA’s. In addition, a popular motorized 

recreation show, “At Your Leisure”, aired the clips during 

their Saturday morning show reaching another 450,000 

viewers over six weeks. This season, thousands people 

viewed the trailers prior to blockbuster, big screen movies. The in-your-face PSA’s where a huge hit and we hope 

to implement them state wide in the upcoming winter season. 

“ARE YOU BEEPING” SIGNS 

More and more riders are leaving ski area egress gates and 

venturing into the backcountry totally unprepared. These 

numbers continue to rise because the gear we ride has improved so much in the recent years. Wider 

skis and better boards and boots easily allow people to get into avalanche terrain, often with little or 

no avalanche training. 

We had a meeting with various Forest Service personnel—both locally and regionally—to plan a strategy on how to address this problem. In addition, we met with various ski area managers. We agreed 

on the concept of an eye-catching, informational sign combined with an electronic device that would 

indicate whether the person passing the sign had a transmitting beacon. Craig Gordon, then took 

charge of the project. He initially teamed up with Jason Valez, who was a close family friend of Attilio 

Yazar, a well respected Chilean snowboarder who died in an avalanche last spring on Pioneer Ridge in 

upper Big Cottonwood Canyon. Jason had a donation from Attilio’s family and they wanted to see the 

funds go to prevent needless avalanche accidents. This got the project rolling. Jared Fitch, a local 

graphic artist, donated his time to lay out a conceptual sign and a Forest Service grant along with monies from our great partners Wasatch Backcountry Rescue helped to facilitate the design and construction. European avalanche beacon manufacturer, Ortovox helped supply the avalanche detection system. 

As you walk by the sign the recognition unit will “beep” recognizing your avalanche beacon is on. By no 

means is this checking for range or strength, it’s to serve as a reminder that your beacon is working. 

In addition to this interactive device, bulleted points are outlined—where to call for avalanche informaSnowbird ski patrol installing a sign at the 

area boundary. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

19 

tion, reminders of the gear you need and the consequences of your actions. Finally, we’ve listed the 

“red flags” of snow instability to give people clues to look for when traveling in the backcountry. 

 Brighton Ski Resort was the first to take the lead in this cutting edge approach, but these signs were 

also installed at Snowbasin, The Canyons, Snowbird and the Town of Alta. We hope this revolutionary 

program will help folks make educated decisions when leaving the controlled environment of the ski 

areas, ultimately helping us accomplish our goal of keeping riders on top of the greatest snow on earth 

rather than buried beneath it. 

The UAC brings all user groups from a variety of 

backgrounds together in a common goal to prevent avalanche accidents. Nowhere is this more 

pronounced than the efforts of long time snowmobile enthusiast and part-time inventor Bill Farley 

who helped design several solar powered units, 

which were installed at ski areas late this season. 

Bill’s desire to save lives across the board no matter what we’re riding show the diverse partnerships the UAC has fostered over the years and we 

want to thank him for his outstanding efforts. And 

special thanks to Craig Gordon who worked tirelessly on this project throughout the season in his 

“spare time” from his regular avalanche forecasting 

duties. 

Internet Products 

The internet is a powerful way to provide information to the public. It is the most comprehensive 

source for the public no matter what level avalanche experience they have. Brett Kobernik continued to refine his computer programming techniques during the season in learning languages such 

as Perl, PHP, HTML, and Java script, all which are 

used behind the scenes to produce the various internet products. Walt Haas was, and continues to be 

an important resource for computer programming as well. 

Internet Homepage 

Improvements to the UAC internet products continued with the “tiered” approach. The Utah Avalanche Center homepage is the user’s first peek at the UAC’s information. Therefore, we felt that it 

should contain the most basic avalanche information which is danger ratings for individual mountain 

ranges within the state. The new homepage includes a map of the state with the danger ratings indicated by region. When users mouse over an area, a message pops up with basic information on that 

danger rating. This is what we call tier 1 information. When the users click on a certain area, they are 

then directed to the most recent avalanche advisory issued for that area. This begins tier 2 information. 

Graphic Avalanche Advisory 

In the 05-06 season, the UAC produced a graphic based avalanche advisory for the internet that replaced the plain text version. The advisory layout was produced by web designer and extreme-skier, 

Jim Conway, and the programming for the forecaster interface was written by Chris Lundy of the 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

20 

The graphic based advisory (pictured left) in its refined format was popular with internet users. The Media Page 

(pictured below) was introduced in 07 to help print, radio 

and television media get accurate and up to date information on danger ratings, avalanche watches and warnings. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

21 

Sawtooth Avalanche Center. This was a big success with the public. 

After using the new advisory for half of the 05-06 season the forecasters had a good feel on what 

changes should be implemented for the 06-07 season. Improvements included more links to other 

products, re-arranging the order of the information, and adding special headers that appear during avalanche Watches and Warnings as well as a heading for special announcements. Again, Jim Conway put 

his creative talent to work on updating the graphics and Brett Kobernik took over the back-end programming work. Toby Weed at the Logan branch was the next to start using the graphic advisory mid 

season. The advisory will be used in the Uintas as well as the LaSals and Manti Skyline areas in 07-08. 

Media Page 

For the past ten seasons, we estimate that 85 percent of the people killed in avalanches in Utah did not 

consult the avalanche advisory before heading out. In addition, most avalanche victims were killed on 

slopes where the avalanche danger was rated as Considerable or High. In other words, we have a 

problem with people who are largely uninformed about avalanches and who go out on obviously dangerous days. Unfortunately, this group takes a lot of effort to reach. We feel one of the best ways to 

get the word out is to use the media they 

already use, such as newspapers, radio and 

local television news. 

The media has been our valuable partners in 

this endeavor, and this year provided excellent coverage of the changing avalanche conditions, avalanche warnings and watches, 

and timely stories that undoubtedly saved 

lives. A timely avalanche story on the evening news or in the morning paper often 

reaches more backcountry users than the 

daily forecast, and steers them toward finding more avalanche information before 

heading into the backcountry. We’d like to 

give huge thanks the local TV and print 

news media for their outstanding efforts in 

helping us. 

We built upon the pilot program we started 

last year of providing an overall danger rating to the print media. This year we changed our daily emails to a media portal web page that each 

media source could bookmark and expanded the access to all media outlets, including TV and newspaper. Each forecast region independently updated the danger rating for their region, which they can do 

this any time of day or night. In this way, the page reflected the latest information. The overall danger 

ratings were colored coded onto two Utah maps, one for today and one for tomorrow. The today 

Utah map was mirrored on our home page. Many thanks to Walt Hass for all his hard work on this 

project, taking our ideas and turning them into reality with his top notch programming skills. 

Podcasting 

A hectic number of morning duties for the avalanche forecaster on duty each day forced another way 

of reaching more people through radio media. Live radio slots timed very close together doesn’t leave 

much room for error so the UAC decided to record a 30 to 60 second long recording that any radio 

station could receive after around 7:30 am at their leisure and broadcast it when they wanted to. A 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

22 

new internet technology known as “podcasting” proved the best choice for distributing this recording 

which is in an “MP3” format. This fits into the tiered approach as being tier 1information. After implementing the 30 second podcast it was very easy to produce a podcast of the normal daily avalanche 

advisory as well which is available from the UAC website. 

Online Videos 

The UAC started experimenting with short video clips located on the UAC website. The clips include 

examples of snow behavior, avalanches running, and instructional clips on stability testing techniques. 

These were received well by the public along with other avalanche workers from different states. The 

UAC feels this is an excellent way for people to learn and will no doubt continue to produce these in 

the future. 

Craig Gordon unveils his Are You Beeping signs to ski patrollers at the annual Blasters Refresher at Snowbasin, an event attended by most ski patrollers in northern Utah. The signs generated much interest. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

23 

Thank you to everyone who contributed to 

make the Utah Avalanche Center possible. 

The Forest Service Utah Avalanche Centers would not exist without support from a broad base of partners 

and the public. This brief thanks does not represent the value of what each of these entities contributes to 

our program. Many of these organization’s long term commitments have lead to the stability of the Forest 

Service Utah Avalanche Forecast Center and allowed us to expand our forecast area and pursue innovative 

communication and education programs. So however small this thanks is, we would like to acknowledge 

the following people and organizations. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

24 

Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation almost single handedly funds three avalanche programs - 

the Western Uinta Mountains, Manti Skyline and the Logan area mountains – to the tune of $82,000/year. In 

addition, they generously support the Know Before You Go education program with the loan of a power 

point projector. Many thanks to Fred Hayes and his cohorts for their generous support. 

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center keeps our engine running, filling in numerous gaps in our 

funding, from staffing to observers, education projects and equipment, often raising and spending over 

$50,000/year. They coordinate innumerable fund raisers and function as a 501c3, smoothing the way for 

potential partners to work with us. A very special thanks to the volunteer board for all their hours of work

and to the miracle worker, President Colleen Graham. 

Black Diamond Equipment, the company that started it all, both on a local level and as a model nationwide for company partnership with avalanche forecast centers. It’s not just the $30,000 they raise each 

year at the fall fundraiser, the hundreds of hours of staff time, or the hosting of the annual fund raising party, 

but also the way they bring the outdoor community together. 

Utah Department of Public Safety, one of our oldest dependable partners, who contributes generous 

$25,000/year. 

Salt Lake County for their generous long term support of $25,000/year.

The Byrne Family for their annual financial donation to the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. 

The Jim Shea Family Foundation. Jim Shea generously sponsored a fundraiser at the Canyons Resort 

for the Know Before You Go program this season, which raised around $8,000. He also helped to sponsor 

the Avalanche Awareness Ride in the Uinta Mountains, which raised around $5,000. 

National Weather Service for their generous and long term in-kind support of office space and office 

supplies, not to mention the unlimited access to personalized mountain weather forecasts. 

Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort for hosting the wildly successful Know Before You Go fundraiser 

with The Friends, raising about $15,000, and for hosting Backcountry Avalanche Awareness week. 

Backcountry.com donated $5000, some of the original seed money to start the Know Before You Go 

program, plus annual donations of a portion of their sales. In addition, they generously provided a toll-free, 

statewide avalanche hotline number, which was used by 40,000 callers this season. 

The Utah Snowmobile Association partnered with the International Snowmobile Association for 

a $4000 grant for the Know Before You Go Program and donated $1000 toward the Windy Peak weather 

station. 

REI provided space for the Friends annual ski swap, rooms for avalanche awareness talk. 

Uinta Brewing Company for a donation of $1200. 

Wasatch Backcountry Rescue donated a power point projector and a laptop and $2,000 to the Know 

Before You Go project. They also installed several Rescue Training Centers with help from Red Pine Rescue at Snowbird, The Canyons, Solitude and Snowbasin. 

Backcountry Access donated a complete Beacon Basin, an avalanche beacon training center that was installed at a snowmobile trailhead in the Uinta Mountains. Each year they also loan us avalanche safety equipment for teaching and demonstrations.
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

25 

Although we moved to a toll-free, statewide avalanche hotline this season, thanks to the entities that provided the phone lines before the transition this fall: the Outdoor Recreation Departments at: University of 

Utah, Brigham Young University, Weber State University, and Park City Ski Area. 

Deer Valley, Brighton, The Canyons and Ski Utah who each donated $1000 to the Know Before 

You Go avalanche education program. 

Utah State University for use of their phone lines and for observers/ forecasters salary. 

And of course, the long list of our individual supporters who support the Friends of the UAC with their 

annual financial donations and their volunteer time, we couldn't do it without you. 

Olympian, Jim Shea of the Jim Shea Foundation speaks at a fundraiser at the Canyons Resort 

he sponsored for the Know Before You Go avalanche education program. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

26 

“Know Before You Go” Avalanche Education Program

“This year we gave 119 talks reaching out to 22,450 young adults. In the past three seasons, 

Know Before You Go has been seen by over 50,000 teens and not one person attending these 

talks has been killed in an avalanche.” 

Unlike a scene from a second rate sci-fi thriller or a James Bond movie, avalanches don’t strike without 

warning. As a matter of fact, plenty of clues to unstable snow usually present themselves and most avalanche accidents are preventable. That’s the good news. The bad news is these clues are often ignored 

due to lack of basic avalanche awareness skills. Now you don’t need to be a snow scientist to enjoy the 

mountains during the winter and most recreationists either don’t have time or aren’t interested in becoming a snow geek. That’s ok because in many cases just a little bit of avalanche knowledge can help 

people make life saving decisions. With this in mind, basic avalanche education is perhaps the biggest 

single component in keeping winter backcountry users alive. 

History 

The Know Before You Go avalanche awareness program was inspired by a tragic avalanche accident, 

killing three teenagers in Utah. It‘s the day after Christmas 2003 and the largest storm to hit Salt Lake 

City in nearly 30 years has been slamming the state for two days with about 18” of snow falling in the 

city itself. In the nearby Wasatch Mountains, it’s raging. Winds are strong and out of the southwest at 

speeds of 25-40 mph, gusting to 60 and 70 mph along the exposed ridgelines. Since the 25th, 28” of 

heavy snow has fallen. The Provo area mountains, 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake, have received 22” of 

dense, wet snow. By all accounts it’s an epic storm and cities along with outlying rural areas are crippled. Throughout northern Utah trees are snapped, power lines down, and roads are barely passable. 

Most ski resorts struggle to keep their areas open, battling strong winds, blinding snow and occasional 

power outages. 

A small local ski resort near Provo Utah is busy with young riders enjoying their Christmas break; 

however, the resort closes early because so many factors are working against it. As a result, a number 

of snowboarders and skiers, in separate parties, decide to drive up the road to a popular trailhead for 

some powder riding. They come to the end of the road, and start ascending a popular hiking trail, Aspen Grove. Arriving at different times, but still within about a half an hour of each other, three groups 

find the visibility poor and decide to charge up the closest slope, a large north facing avalanche path, Elk 

Point. The slope rises to an elevation over 10,800’ with a base elevation at Aspen Grove of 6700’, affording a vertical drop of 4100’. No one is wearing avalanche rescue gear and communication among 

the groups, in total 14 people, is almost non-existent as they all head up the slope. The group never 

got to their destination. A series of four large natural avalanches are triggered from above and pandemonium ensues. At the end of the day, three young men were buried and killed, and the last body wasn’t recovered until April 8, nearly three months after the slide was triggered. Covered extensively by 

both local and national news, the event kept avalanche awareness in the spotlight for an unusually long 

time. The tight knit, family-oriented community is devastated. 

Unfortunately, the story is one we’ve heard before. While the characters change each time, the theme 

remains the same and the outcome is tragic for the victim’s family and friends alike. The bottom line in 

so many cases is frustratingly apparent—technology far outpaces even basic avalanche awareness skills. 

In addition to high-tech gear, which riders quickly master and then look beyond the ski area boundary 

for “freshies”, today’s riders are also inundated with high-octane action sports videos, which can often 

give an unrealistic impression to the complexity of snow and avalanche safety. Throw in an unstable 

snowpack, some youth, a dose of testosterone, and mix well with a little lack of situational awareness 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

27 

and you have a potentially lethal combination. 

 

Just two seasons prior to the Aspen grove slide, Craig investigated a deadly avalanche in upper Big 

Cottonwood Canyon, approx 18 mi southeast of Salt Lake City. A group of ten young snowboarders, 

mostly in their mid to late teens triggered a large avalanche, killing two males in the party. Much like 

the Aspen Grove slide in 2003, other than a few shovels used mainly to build backcountry kickers, no 

one had avalanche rescue gear or even rudimentary avalanche skills. 

 

The two events convinced Craig a teen-specific basic avalanche awareness program must be created. 

He thought if we could get this younger crowd thinking about avalanches, calling the hotline and wearing avalanche safety gear, lives would be saved. In the long run, a generation of riders would be educated on what to do before traveling in the backcountry. 

 

In January 2004, Craig proposed the idea to Bruce Tremper, the director of the Forest Service Utah 

Avalanche Center (UAC). He expressed the need to develop a program specific to young adults in the 

state of Utah. This course would be unique, going right to the source—junior highs, high schools, and 

colleges—preaching the avalanche gospel to the masses. The program would be a massive undertaking, 

because as with most federal agencies the UAC gets by on minimal funding and personnel. 

 

Bruce and Craig worked on a business plan and decided early on, the program would last for about an 

hour. To keep teens’ attention it needed to be fast paced and energetic. The presentation would be 

given in three parts. An avalanche professional would go to a school assembly and start with a 15-

minute, narrated video that would show avalanches, people triggering avalanches, and the destructive 

power of avalanches. Next, they would tell a dynamic story about a close call they had and what they 

have learned over the years. The presenter would follow this up with a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation about avalanche basics. A question and answer session would wrap up the assembly. We wanted 

to create a successful program, administered by the Friends of the UAC, which could be shared with all 

snow professionals and regional avalanche centers across the United States.
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

28 

Rescuers search for survivors of the Aspen Grove avalanche. This tragedy was the impetus for the Know Before 

You Go program development. 

Bruce Tremper photo

Partnerships and Funding 

Past and present and future 

 

The “Know Before You Go” program was established in the summer of 2004 and funded solely by donations and in-kind support. The majority of the annual operating budget is generated from a fundraising dinner held at a local ski resort in February. However, like any new product to hit the market, financial support hasn’t been all that cut and dry. 

While preliminary funding from the Friends of the UAC got the project off the ground, it took visionary partners who trusted us to come on board and partner with this innovative program. Fortunately, 

Backcountry.com saw the need and planted the first seed monies, getting the venture through its initial 

stages. They trusted the reputation of the UAC and thought we had the expertise to give this program 

the attention to detail it deserved. Little by little, donations started to come in as people began to hear 

about this exciting new program. R.E.I. who has been a partner with the UAC for many years, were 

next to come on board with another generous donation. 

Also, over the years, Craig developed great working relationships with the Utah Snowmobile Association (USA) and wanted to get them involved. Bridging the gap between motorized and non-motorized 

users, the USA stepped up to the plate and applied for an education grant from the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA). This organization represents the four major snowmobile 

manufacturers and has two grant cycles each year, in which they grant monies for certain projects, usually education or safety related. This was the first avalanche project of its kind to ever receive grant 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

29 

monies from this organization. This unto itself was a major breakthrough for the program because it 

showed the strong commitment the snowmobile community has to avalanche safety and the well developed partnership the FSUAC has with the USA. 

 

In the fall of 2004, the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation came on board as a partner and 

donated more money than all the other partners combined! The productive, fruitful relationship with 

State Parks and particularly Fred Hayes, the OHV coordinator, goes back several years. This significant 

donation was vital to the longevity of the program and all the hard work that went into it. 

 

A few new ski industry partners came to our rescue in the summer of 2005. First was Brighton Ski Resort, a long time partner of the FSUAC in avalanche education. While previous in-kind support included lift tickets and parking for the Friends three day Level One avalanche awareness courses, last 

year Area Manager Randy Doyle offered to help the program out financially. In addition, Brighton’s 

proactive approach to avalanche education with their employees is a benefit to anyone working there. 

For the past three years, Brighton invited Craig to provide an avalanche presentation to its employees. 

There’s a twofold benefit to everyone attending. Not only do attendees take with them life saving 

skills, at the end of the talk they’re also rewarded with a free day pass at the resort. Positive incentives 

like this help us to further spread the avalanche message and pack the house with several hundred employees each year. 

 

Ski areas are an important partner in the avalanche equation and we’re excited to see the additional 

financial support from Deer Valley, The Canyons and Ski Utah. Bob Wheaton, Scott Pierpont and Nathan Rafferty respectively, were instrumental in getting their organizations to donate monies and we 

look forward to their continued partnership. 

 

Craig also applied for a grant through the Park City Chamber of Commerce which helped to supplement a number of Summit County talks and defray video re-editing costs. In addition, Kennnecott Copper donated funds to help with avalanche presentations on the west side of the Salt Lake valley. 

 

Finally, in-kind donations from Wasatch Backcountry Rescue (WBR) facilitated the program on the 

road. WBR contributed a PowerPoint projector in 2004 and purchased a laptop computer for the 

2005 season. 

This winter during a WBR training class where dog teams throughout the country attended, Dean Cardinale presented Craig with a $2000.00 donation. Over the summer we hope to create an all inclusive 

AV package presenters can grab and go. Support from valued partners like WBR help to make this program a success. 

Program Development

Prior to its phenomenally successful first year, Know Before You Go was a tough sell. Craig worked 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

30 

diligently to open the door of the school system and it wasn’t always an easy task. After all, we were 

up against some stiff competition. The only programs welcomed by the Utah schools on a massive scale 

before were those that taught drug, alcohol and tobacco avoidance. This was a different type of program. However, once on the road, the programs dynamic message along with a very active avalanche 

year of 2004-05, propelled the program into the Utah schools spotlight. 

 

With a seasons worth of presentations under our belts, we regrouped; saw what worked and what 

didn’t and made the necessary tweaks to the original PowerPoint presentation. In addition, the original 

video was re-edited over the summer of ‘05, adding a few more interviews and new avalanche footage. 

With additional funding, we hope to update both the PowerPoint presentation and video this summer 

to keep the message fresh and up-to-date. 

New Partnerships 

Late last spring a new partnership was formed with the Jim Shea Foundation. Jim, an Olympic gold 

medal athlete and Park City resident, wanted to get involved in avalanche education. His foundation, 

mainly aimed at youth programs, contacted Craig, wanting to partner with the Friends and Know Before You Go. 

We thought this was a great opportunity to add the notoriety of an Olympic athlete to an already 

popular program, helping us reach out to even more young adults. Craig worked with the foundation, 

teaming up with Jim for his third annual Shea Foundation Golf Tournament held at the Park Meadows 

Golf Club in Park City. Brighton, Deer Valley and Ski Utah, partners with the Friends for years, helped 

to sponsor the 17th hole. 

Jim Shea and his Family Foundation are the newest partners helping the Friends and Know Before 

You Go. Anita Gordon photo.
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

31 

Nuts and Bolts 

Personnel, presentations and scheduling 

The first year objective of Know Before You Go was to reach out to 5,000 students. Word got out 

about the program and we easily doubled our intended goal, speaking to over 12,000 students. Like a 

rock star with a hit album wondering if they could be as successful the second time around, we set our 

05-06 season sights on just trying to tie the watermark set the year before. By seasons end we were 

able to eclipse last year’s wildly successful start by giving 110 presentations, reaching out to just over 

18,500 students. This year we gave 119 talks reaching out to 22,450 young adults. In the past three 

seasons, Know Before You Go has been seen by over 50,000 teens and not one person attending 

these talks has been killed in an avalanche. 

 

The program is well represented with snow professionals from Ogden to Payson to Park City to Salt 

Lake City. Up north, ski patrol personnel from Snow Basin included Doug Wewer, JR Fletcher and 

Aleph Johnston-Bloom. In the Salt Lake area Dean Cardinale, Mike Morris, and Ralph Whatley from 

Snowbird as well as Gabe Garcia and Dave Richards from Alta helped to cover a bulk of the talks. 

Darce Trotter who worked as snow safety and ski patrol director at Sundance for nearly two decades 

provided immeasurable assistance by covering talks in the Heber Valley, Park City and Provo areas. 

Finally, in Park City, a natural choice was to have Jake Hutchinson help us out. He’s the snow safety 

and ski patrol director for The Canyons. Jakes local expertise was utilized in Summit and Salt Lake 

Counties. This dynamic team of dedicated snow professionals deserves a tremendous amount of credit. 

It was their hard work and commitment to avalanche education that makes the program so successful. 

Craig answers a question 

at Westminster College, 

demonstrating how a slab 

avalanche works during 

the question and answer 

session with his last slide 

on the screen. Liz Rogers 

photo.
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

32 

 

Jake Hutchinson, seen here in the middle of the group, takes a moment to smile for the camera while teaching 

a group of advanced users how to practice with their avalanche beacons. Craig Gordon photo.

Backcountry Awareness Week/February Fundraiser: 

 Roger Kerr, the mastermind behind Backcountry Awareness Week, is Snowbird Expeditions program 

director and originally proposed the idea to the Governor’s office four years ago. The Governor 

agreed that the last week of January should be dedicated to raising the level of avalanche awareness 

statewide. The week kicks off with Utah’s Governor signing an avalanche awareness proclamation, followed by a media blitz during the week, which includes interviews with snow professionals. It all wraps 

up with an evening fundraiser and weekend avalanche classes given by forecasters with the UAC. Colleen Graham, the Friends president, teamed up with Roger and their hard work and dedication to avalanche awareness brings a diverse group of users together for a very special, one-night event. The proceeds go directly to the program’s operation and expansion budget. This year Scott Pierpont and the 

Canyons Resort were gracious enough to host both the fundraiser and weekend classes and we want 

to thank them for being such a devoted partner. In addition, Olympic Gold Medal winner Jim Shea was 

the key note speaker. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

33 

Utah’s Governor Jon Huntsman and Craig Gordon pictured here at the proclamation signing. State of Utah photo.

Future Direction 

 We would like to see the “Know Before You Go” program become a mainstay in the Utah school 

system. On the heels of another successful season, we expect we’ll be busier next year as even more 

schools have expressed interest in the program. Also, working in conjunction with the Utah Board of 

Education, Craig will develop a curriculum for the program so it can pilot as a state-wide, 8th grade 

physical education elective for the 2007-08 school year. This would be the first of its kind in the nation 

and could act as a successful model for other mountain communities to follow. The future for Know 

Before You go looks bright and the message is well received. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

34 

Craig was invited to Cedar City this fall to present the program to physical education and health specialists from 

all over the state. Nearly 100 educators attended the conference and many schools welcomed the presentation 

to their schools last winter. Anita Gordon photo.

Presentation reviews 

Craig Gordon 

Utah Avalanche Center 

2242 West North Temple 

Salt Lake City, Utah 84116 

May 9, 2007 

Dear Craig, 

I wanted to thank you for presenting the “Know Before You Go” program to the Winter at Westminster students. Your enthusiasm and knowledge truly inspired the group, and many students furthered 

their avalanche education because of your introduction. In fact, at the end of the semester, every stu-
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

35 

dent ranked your presentation at the top of the activity list and highly recommended it for next year’s 

program. I look forward to having you present for us again next January! 

Sincerely, 

Liz Rogers 

Outdoor Recreation Coordinator 

Westminster College 

I appreciate the opportunity to have worked with Craig Gordon. This was 

an incredible experience for our students and staff. Living in Morgan 

and our students having access to many snowmobiling areas this was an 

exceptional assembly and on of great importance. I heard many positive 

comments about the assembly from students and from staff members. It 

was great to be able to have an educational assembly that was also 

entertaining. This was a great learning experience for our students and 

would recommend we participate in this assembly in the future. 

Thank You 

Wade Murdock 

Morgan High School 

Hi Craig, 

 

The presentation was absolutely wonderful. Our youth were very well instructed, and the message took on as especially poignant meaning. One of our young women excused herself, as 

the presentation hit very close to home for her. Two years ago her uncle was killed in a back 

country avalanche. When teaching youth, as every parent knows, they don't always learn the 

lesson from being "told." The presentation was perfect, followed up by this young woman's 

testimony of its relevance, made an indelible impression on our young men and young women. 

 

Thank you very much. 

 

Best wishes, 

Dave Ellis 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

36 

Thank you for the presentation. All of the feedback I heard was 

excellent. It went well and held both the youth and 

the adults attention. 

The effectiveness of the presentation was probably increased by all of 

the avalanche activity in the news during the following couple of weeks. 

I did hear that several of the young men had seen the presentation at 

school, so it appears the message is getting out. 

Great program! Let me know how we can help you continue to get the word 

out. 

Jim Child 

Craig – 

Park City High School has been extremely fortunate to have the "Know Before You Go" avalanche 

awareness program at our school for the past three years. 

Over 1500 students have participated in this program and have been presented with information and 

knowledge that is critical in this ski town. We have students on the resort, mountains and back country every day, in every kind of conditions. With this number of ski days it is obvious that this program 

has helped our students avoid avalanches which are so prevalent in Utah's mountains. We plan on having this program for every sophomore in school and every student in out "Adventure Activities" 

class. The staff looks forward to the presentations every year knowing that it will help some student 

avoid 

dangerous, life threatening situations. Thanks to Craig and his group. BobBurns - PE Department 

Chair - Park City High School. 

Very special thanks go out to the following supporters: 

• Backcountry.com 

• The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center 

• R.E.I. 

• The Utah Snowmobile Association 

• The International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association 

• Utah State Parks and Recreation 

• Wasatch Backcountry Rescue 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

37 

• Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort 

• Dirk Collins- Teton Gravity Research 

• Steve Kroschel- Kroschel Films 

• Steve Winter- Matchstick Productions 

• Richard Cheski- Mindset Media 

• Jim Phelan- Big Sky X / Thunderstruck Films 

• Greg Painter-Mountain Mod Mania 

• David Craig- David Craig Films 

• KTVX and KSTU News 

• Tahoe Films 

• Ben Dejong 

• Canadian Mountain Holidays 

• Andy Jacobsen 

• Brighton Ski Resort 

• Deer Valley Ski Resort 

• Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort 

• The Canyons Ski Resort 

• Ski Utah 

• Park City Chamber of Commerce 

• Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation 

• Jim Shea Foundation 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

38 

Wasatch Season Summary 

By Drew Hardesty 

If the winters of 04/05 and 05/06 were years to remember, the winter of 06/07 was one to forget. The 

weather pattern of a nearly continuously splitting jet stream and resulting cut-off Low pressure systems 

produced a thin, continental snowpack with lingering basal and mid-pack instabilities. We limped into 

the May 1st finish line with just 356” at the Alta Guard station—well under the average of 500 inches. 

Historical records for snow stations across the state sadly pointed out that this was one of the top 

four leanest years on record, along with ‘76/’77 and ‘00/’01. Instead of ‘skiing and riding the radical 

lines with impunity’ like the last two years, folks would be looking over one shoulder most of the way 

down the slope. Even some of the cagiest backcountry folks and avalanche professionals experienced 

close calls with what we describe as a ‘persistent’ slab problem, that is, a weak layer of surface hoar or 

faceted snow that remains reactive for quite some time. By our count, which is far from exhaustive as 

not all incidents are reported, there were 88 unintentionally triggered avalanches, of which 32 were 

caught, 29 carried with 14 full or partial burials. Of these unintentionally triggered slides, 33 were remotely triggered, that is, triggered at a distance rather than at the individual’s boards, snowshoes, or 

snowmachine. Three people died in separate incidents on February 17th and 18th, with another fatality 

on the 21st. Four is our ten year running average. The breakdown demographic was two snowmobilers, an out of bounds skier, and a backcountry skier. All male. 

October and November

A juicy storm track in late October that produced torrential rains, flash flooding, and dramatic erosion 

in the canyon country produced a moderate early blanket of snow in the Wasatch. High pressure returning for the end of the month and the first week of November significantly weakened the early season snows, setting us up for a few 

early season incidents in upper 

Little Cottonwood Canyon. The 

second week of November, one 

skier in the yet unopened Alta 

terrain was completely buried 

with only a hand sticking out of 

the snow. A few days later, an 

experienced group remotely triggered a very large slab avalanche 

in north facing Silver Fork, partially burying two and completely 

burying one of its party. Heroically, one member extricated himself to perform a beacon search 

and live recovery of the other 

completely buried victim. A few 

artificial respirations brought color 

back to the victim’s face, who 

soon skied out on his own. A 30” 

storm of 7% density brought the yearly total to 92” and it looked like we might be off and running for 

another banner year. Had we only known. 

December

A dry spell for the first 10 days of December fostered the growth of near surface faceted grains and 

Pictured is Jason West who joined Brett & Bruce from the UAC during 

the accident investigation. Jason was a victim as well as one of the 

rescuers 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

39 

many thinner snowpack areas became altogether unsupportable, rotting from both the ground up and 

the top down. 40” of snow fell from the 10th to the 17th, with just as many slides in the backcountry 

running on newly buried faceted snow and surface hoar as on intra storm failure planes. As the new 

slab stiffened, collapse failure and remotely triggered slides pulled out with more regularity on the 

shady aspects at the mid and upper elevations. 

January

January snow totals came in at 35”/1.52”. A wind event on the 6th produced widespread natural activity, but otherwise, the stagnant snow continued to weaken, awaiting the next storm cycle that never 

came. 

An unusual stretch of dry weather prompted the UAC staff to use humor to retain the 

public’s attention. The goal was to make people aware of the unusually weak snow that 

the dry spell was producing.. This picture was the 4th most viewed of all the photos from 

06-07 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

40 

February

February began dry, but with stronger winds, resulting in a close call on the Pfeifferhorn, where two 

snowshoers triggered a shallow drift near the summit of the peak, and ragdolled down the south side 

over some cliffbands. One man was severely injured and remained hospitalized for some time with a 

head injury. It was only a portent for one of the deadliest months in Utah history. Snowfall began on 

the 10th producing a widespread natural cycle from Logan to Provo. While issuing an avalanche warning, the forecaster on the 11th wrote “the sheer amount of water weight in the last 12 hours, the attimes snowfall rates of 2-3” of snow/hour and the expectation of another half inch to inch of water 

weight will easily snap the rubberband of our hapless snowpack. The new snow is falling on a variety of 

old snow surfaces, but will be enough to step down into some of the weakest sugary faceted snow 

we’ve seen in years.” It was the proverbial cast iron skillet on the house of cards. Snowfall lasted 

Once the weak layer that formed 

in January was covered up with 2-

3 feet of snow,, which created 

obviously-dangerous conditions. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

41 

through the 16th when the 17th, a Saturday, dawned cold and clear. The natural cycle was over, but 

many of the other slopes were hanging in the balance, waiting for a trigger. Over the next five days, 

four men died in avalanches, with another Utahn dying in an avalanche in the Snake River range in 

Idaho. The danger never dropped below Considerable through the end of the month. 

March

Another 20” and strong northwesterly winds continued where February left off, and another natural 

cycle was on the way. The floodgates soon closed with few, if any, anticipating the heat wave and subsequent wet shedding of the snowpack on all but the high, shady slopes. By midmonth, daytime highs 

at 8000’ routinely hit into the mid to upper 50’s and 60’s, with overnight refreezes few and far between. Water percolating through the weak, layered snowpack produced many natural wet sluffs and 

slabs, with some pulling out up to 3-6’ deep and 500 yards wide. Temperatures started to cool around 

the end of the month with snow and water totals coming in at 48”/3.61”. For many, this dry March 

was the iron stake in the average backcountry enthusiast’s heart. 

April

With April 2nd being the last daily advisory, it was the earliest we had closed shop in years. Totals for 

the month were around 50” of snow. 

February was a very dangerous month. This is a photo of a skier triggered avalanche on Cardiac Ridge. 

The skier was caught and carried about 1000 feet and received only minor injuries. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

42 

A warm stretch of weather in March again re-activated the weakness formed earlier in the year. This is a 180 

degree panoramic image of a large avalanche on Gobblers Knob. The starting zone is in the very upper left 

corner of the photo. The wet debris gouged a long-running trough for a long distance into the flats. 

The combination of an unusually weak 

layer and the rapid warm up in March 

kept the ski resort snow safety workers 

busy. These conditions produced many 

large avalanches in skier compacted terrain which doesn’t happen all that often. 

This one occurred at Park City with explosive control work around noon. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

43 

Season

Year 

ending Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. Total

1944-45 1945 --- 57.0 19.5 67.0 --- 57.0

1945-46 1946 109.0 83.0 84.5 50.0 69.0 55.5 451.0

1946-47 1947 69.0 63.0 61.0 53.0 68.0 60.0 374.0

1947-48 1948 118.0 80.0 46.0 66.0 165.0 74.0 549.0

1948-49 1949 71.0 160.0 132.0 58.0 97.0 5.0 523.0

1949-50 1950 39.0 137.0 133.0 34.0 109.0 25.0 477.0

1950-51 1951 60.0 66.0 112.0 58.0 53.0 0.0 349.0

1951-52 1952 67.0 156 115.0 105.0 163.0 35.0 641.0

1952-53 1953 44.0 65.0 112.0 40.0 93.0 57.0 411.0

1953-54 1954 50.0 107.0 54.0 57.0 101.0 14.0 383.0

1954-55 1955 37.0 53.0 134.0 129.0 60.0 59.0 472.0

1955-56 1956 86.0 112.0 103.0 72.0 33.0 54.0 460.0

1956-57 1957 36.0 50.0 86.0 41.0 97.0 76.0 386.0

1957-58 1958 74.0 79.5 83.5 131.5 80.0 111.0 559.5

1958-59 1959 38.0 47.5 81.0 107.0 84.5 28.0 386.0

1959-60 1960 22.0 39.5 59.0 155.0 92.0 28.0 395.5

1960-61 1961 75.0 40.0 1.0 62.0 113.0 35.0 326.0

1961-62 1962 46.0 82.5 86.0 110.0 35.0 42.0 401.5

1962-63 1963 31.0 17.0 85.0 39.0 93.0 136.0 401.0

1963-64 1964 55.0 53.0 108.0 68.0 183.0 99.0 566.0

1964-65 1965 95.0 141.0 150.0 66.0 44.0 77.0 573.0

1965-66 1966 69.0 69.0 73.0 103.0 70.0 49.0 433.0

1966-67 1967 53.0 84.0 168.0 72.0 61.0 106.0 544.0

1967-68 1968 22.0 131.0 39.0 84.0 70.0 133.5 479.5

1968-69 1969 87.5 132.6 113.0 148.0 35.0 50.0 566.1

1969-70 1970 56.0 70.0 103.5 60.5 79.0 90.0 459.0

1970-71 1971 79.0 142.0 58.0 73.5 87.0 42.0 481.5

1971-72 1972 64.5 159.0 94.5 45.0 47.0 56.6 466.6

1972-73 1973 ---- 122.0 64.5 77.0 124.0 109.0 496.5

1973-74 1974 90.9 128.2 104.5 91.0 45.0 136.0 595.6

1974-75 1975 25.5 146.5 104.0 88.0 151.0 90.0 605.0

1975-76 1976 94.0 67.0 74.5 69.0 93.0 42.0 439.5

1976-77 1977 13.5 17.0 50.5 73.5 129.0 31.0 314.5

1977-78 1978 53.0 106.5 99.5 92.5 85.0 88.0 524.5

1978-79 1979 62.5 96.0 78.5 86.0 71.0 94.0 588.0

1979-80 1980 79.5 27.0 143.0 112.5 123.0 29.0 514.0

1980-81 1981 40.0 34.0 73.0 82.0 110.0 52.0 391.0

1981-82 1982 47.0 184.0 143.0 85.0 164.0 73.0 696.0

1982-83 1983 66.0 165.0 75.5 68.0 150.0 112.5 637.0

1983-84 1984 143.5 244.5 42.0 104.0 85.0 124.5 743.5

1984-85 1985 112.5 105.0 44.0 61.5 99.5 34.5 457.0

1985-86 1986 132.0 62.0 56.0 112.7 100.0 135.7 599.0

1986-87 1987 73.0 12.3 96.0 73.0 104.0 23.5 381.8

1987-88 1988 30.0 91.0 105.1 39.75 115.5 29.0 410.3

1988-89 1989 172.5 124.5 70.75 97.5 64.75 52.0 581.5

Snowfall at Alta Guard 1945- Present
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

44 

1989-90 1990 76.0 49.0 107.5 100.5 84.0 31.0 448.0

1990-91 1991 109.5 91.0 82.8 49.7 110.9 136.3 580.2

1991-92 1992 133.4 57.2 41.8 85 50.1 27.5 395.0

1992-93 1993 118.8 119.2 165.3 102.9 63.0 81.2 650.4

1993-94 1994 40.7 64.85 122.7 134.05 47.2 80.8 490.3

1994-95 1995 205.9 73.8 199.7 56.3 128.9 80.7 745.4

1995-96 1996 57 53 187 104 82 79 562

1996-97 1997 78.3 164.8 141.5 91 53.8 69.7 599.1

1997-98 1998 46.3 81.8 128.9 156.6 92.3 69 574.9

1998-99 1999 76.5 43.1 105.3 98 46.5 89 458.4

1999-00 2000 30.0 97.0 100.0 119.5 84.0 15.5 446.0

2000-01 2001 88.0 71.0 66.2 79.5 53.0 112.0 469.7

2001-02 2002 137 86.1 100.9 53.4 142.2 48.1 567.7

2002-03 2003 42 78.7 26 84.1 93.8 74.8 399.4

2003-04 2004 110 151 74.3 130 62 43.5 570.8

2004-05 2005 62.7 86.4 113.5 77.9 153.6 59.5 553.6

2005-06 2006 81 132 148 61.5 135 76 633.5

2006-07 2007 63 51.5 38.5 107 63.5 32.5 356

Average 73.0 92.7 95.3 83.4 91.4 66.0 502.2

Maximum 205.9 244.5 199.7 156.6 183 136.3 745.4

Year of Max 94 83 95 97 64 91 95

Season

Year 

ending Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. Total

Snowfall at Alta Guard 1945- Present

Alta Guard Seasonal Snow Totals (Nov 1 through April 30)

300

400

500

600

700

800

1944-451945-461946-471947-481948-491949-501950-511951-521952-531953-541954-551955-561956-571957-581958-591959-601960-611961-621962-631963-641964-651965-661966-671967-681968-691969-701970-711971-721972-731973-741974-751975-761976-771977-781978-791979-801980-811981-821982-831983-841984-851985-861986-871987-881988-891989-901990-911991-921992-931993-941994-951995-961996-971997-981998-991999-002000-012001-022002-032003-042004-052005-062006-07

Average
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

45 

Western Uinta Season Summary 

A large hard slab avalanche, near Thousand Peaks Ranch, buckles under the influence of a well placed explosive. John Marshall photo. 

Program history: 

 The western Uinta avalanche-forecasting program in its fourth season is made possible through a generous grant provided by Utah State Parks and Recreation. Craig Gordon, the forecaster for this region 

issues three avalanche advisories per week plus an update on holidays for nearly one million square 

acres of terrain. Craig jokingly calls it “the postage stamp” and the immense amount of terrain 

stretches from Daniels Summit near the town of Heber, Utah to Bear River, near Evanston, Wyoming. 

 The western Uinta Mountains, located east of Park City are a unique range, running east to west they 

harbor the highest peaks in the state, with many over 13,000 feet. Approaches are long and arduous 

and access to the high terrain is a Herculean event for non-motorized users, so the bulk of traffic in 

this region is mostly snowmobilers. From what we can tell, at least 60,000 snowmobilers recreate in 

these mountains each season. 

 

 The Uinta’s are a challenging range to forecast for. First off, the continental snowpack is unlike any 

other range in the state. Shallow snow depths, cold temperatures and strong ridge top winds conspire 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

46 

to make the Uinta pack similar to our Colorado neighbors. Secondly, snow and avalanche observations 

from users are infrequent. As a matter of fact, we usually don’t hear about avalanches unless someone 

triggers an unusually big slide or if there’s a close call or fatality. 

Advisories are issued Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and all holidays. These products are available via 

the internet or two toll free phone lines- one provided by Utah State Parks, the other new addition by 

Backcountry.Com. While there’s no way to track call counts, the internet hits nearly double each season and this year the site received 15,200 hits. Sixty-eight avalanche and mountain weather advisories 

were issued from November to early April. 

 

 While it often feels like a one-man-band, Craig couldn’t do all of this work plus a grueling avalanche 

education schedule without the help of some very vital partners. Both the Kamas and Evanston Ranger 

Districts have supported the program by supplying him with field partners, snowmobiles, vehicles and 

support staff. On the Kamas side of the range former forecaster and ski patrolman Dave Ream, assists 

Craig in the field. In Evanston, district ranger Steve Ryberg, Rick Schuler and Ted Scroggin help pick up 

the slack on the North Slope. Ted is a talented person and a huge asset to the program. His outstanding snow and avalanche observations not only help Craig more effectively cover terrain he can’t 

always analyze himself, Ted also interacts with riders at trailheads and is now taking on a larger role 

with avalanche education in the Evanston area. Ted is an integral part of this program and we hope to 

utilize his skills even more in the future. 

Finally, Bill Nicholson and the staff from the Park City Powder Cats were very helpful by providing 

snowpack and avalanche observations. In addition, the Powder Cats were instrumental in helping to 

install and maintain the Windy Peak weather station. They also help Craig by offering him snowcat access to remote terrain. 

Season Highlights 

Weather instrumentation: 

 We analyzed two seasons worth of wind data from the Moffit Peak weather station and in conjunction with physical field observations, decided to move the instrumentation to a more representative 

location. We decided on the appropriately-named, Windy Peak, at the head of Weber Canyon, would 

offer the best upper elevation wind data, representing a vast array of above tree-line terrain throughout the range. Bill Nicholson and Park City Powder Cats operate a commercial snowcat ski operation 

out of Thousand Peaks Ranch in Weber Canyon and a unique partnership benefiting all involved was 

formed. They would help our operation out by installing an extra phone line at their base facility and 

provide manpower and transportation of the weather station to the peak. In turn it gave their operation real time wind data they never had access to before. The installation went smooth enough and we 

were able to download a few hours of wind and temperature data. However, high fives were quickly 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

47 

eclipsed by the realization of glitches in a base station unit. Fortunately our good friends and long time 

partners at the National Weather Service (NWS) came to our rescue, helping to trouble shoot and 

ultimately get the site up and running. All of this data is available to the public on the NWS homepage. 

We look forward to our continued partnership with the Powder Cats and plan to reinstall the site 

again this coming winter. 

 

The hard working Powder Cat guides turned Sherpas take a break after the successful installation of the Windy 

Peak weather station. Craig Gordon photo. 

Beacon Basin: 

 This season allowed the continued partnership between the western Uinta avalanche forecasting program and Back Country Access (BCA). For the third winter in a row we installed a semi-permanent 

avalanche beacon training facility exclusively for snowmobilers. “Beacon Basin” located at the Nobletts 

trailhead, is about 14 miles east of the town of Francis. The parking at this trailhead is free and on a 

sunny weekend with fresh snow, vehicles not only pack the parking lot, they also string for a mile or so 

down the shoulder of the highway. It’s not unusual for there to be close to 200 rigs, equating to 400-

600 sledders parking at this trailhead. 

 Bruce Edgerly, BCA’s Marketing Vice President, has been very instrumental in continued avalanche 

education for all user groups and this hands-on facility is a huge asset to the avalanche center and the 

snowmobile community alike. Once again this winter, several members from the Utah Snowmobile 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

48 

Association (USA) supported the project by donating their time and back muscles to bury the locators. 

In addition, Bill Farley not only hard wired all the locaters, making for a seamless installation; he also 

transformed the site to the first ever solar powered unit. Bill has helped us on a number of fronts and 

his McGiveresque ingenuity is extremely valuable to both the UAC and the snowmobile community 

alike. 

 The site, within walking distance of the parking lot, is well received. On busy days, 20-30 riders will 

visit the area either before or after their rides. In addition, it provides a great training site when Craig 

teaches “on snow” avalanche awareness clinics. Beacon Basin was utilized by a wide variety of people 

including private groups, snowmobile clubs, and state and federal agencies. We look forward to yet 

another upcoming season, employing this facility at the same popular location. 

 

Even after a recent storm, members of the Utah Snowmobile Association took time out of their powder day 

to help install Beacon Basin on a cold January day. 

Craig Gordon photo. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

49 

Tri-City Performance/Polaris Partnership: 

For the first few years of the Uinta advisory program, Craig was able to perform field work utilizing a 

“loaner” sled from the Kamas Ranger District. After the program was established, he began to pursue 

partnerships with snowmobile manufacturers, much like other regional avalanche centers already incorporate. There were several hurdles to jump and the tragic 2004-05 winter season, in which three 

snowmobilers were killed in avalanches, put things into motion. In the spring of 2005, Doug Page, an 

avid snowmobiler and member of the USA, began making contacts with local snowmobile shops and 

found a willing participant in Tri-City Performance of Centerville, Utah. Mike Paulson arranged an 

agreement with Polaris and they supplied Craig with a sled for the 2005-06 season. After the winter is 

over, Craig returns the sled; the shop sells it and absorbs any monetary loss in the transition of owners. This season Tommy George and Tri-City Performance of Springville stepped up to the plate to 

sponsor the UAC Uinta forecast program. Strong partnerships with Polaris and Tri-City help save lives 

by providing Craig a state-of-the-art snowmobile, allowing him to cover vast amounts of terrain, helping him to more accurately forecast snow and avalanches in an area predominately used by snowmobilers. 

This efficient group, consisting mostly of members from the Utah Snowmobile Association 

made short order of the task at hand- trenching through the snow to bury the targets for 

Beacon Basin. Craig Gordon photo. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

50 

Avalanche Center Fundraising Ride 

The first annual fundraising ride was a huge success! The idea behind the event was hatched at a USA 

board meeting last August and is the brainchild of the Rocky Mountain Sledders, Wasatch Snowmobile 

Tommy George 

and the crew at 

Tri-City Performance of Springville, 

Utah present Craig 

with a 2007 Polaris RMK. Polaris, 

in partnership with 

Tri-City and the 

Friends of the UAC 

help Craig each 

year with a sled so 

he can effectively 

cover the vast 

amount of terrain 

he forecasts for. 

Craig Gordon 

photo. 

Without a sled and 

valued partners like 

Polaris and Tri-City, 

Craig could only 

cover about an 

eighth of the terrain 

he forecasts for 

now. Over the past 

few years Craig has 

fostered strong relationships with both 

snowmobile manufacturers and local 

dealers. Craig 

Gordon photo. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

51 

Association and the Utah Snowmobile Association. In addition to the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce, Olympic gold medal winner Jim Shea and his family foundation jumped on board to support the 

event. Nearly 180 people eagerly signed up for both the ride and dinner, with all the proceeds going to 

help the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The Friends will in turn assist the western Uinta avalanche advisory program and hope to add another person next season, assisting Craig in the role of 

avalanche forecasting and education, specifically for snowmobilers. 

 While there was no new snow to cushion the rock hard old tracks, the ride went off without a hitch. 

Dave Copeland brought his beautiful, custom made Peterbilt tractor-trailer to the Strawberry parking 

lot, allowing us to use it as a staging area for the registration. Starting at Strawberry and heading south, 

riders had the option to ride with the likes of the Thunderstruck or Boondockers crew or they could 

just play around in the meadows and trails. Thanks to everyone who helped to guide the various 

groups, keeping them together and returning safely without incident. 

 The ride ended around 3:00 and we all regrouped at Soldier Hollow where a social hour, dinner and 

live auction awaited. Chad Booth the host of “At Your Leisure” was thrown into the fire and with 

short notice did an incredible job as the evening’s master of ceremonies and auctioneer. Following dinner, keynote speaker Jim Shea reflected on the day, obviously enjoying both the ride and the new 

friends he made. 

 Donations from the Utah Snowmobile Association, the Shea Family Foundation and a very generous 

contribution by avid snowmobiler Curt Kennedy were presented to the friends of the avalanche center. This monumental event couldn’t have happened without the hard working efforts of those involved 

in the planning and coordination. In particular, Pam Madsen did an amazing job pulling everything together, ultimately leading to a very successful fundraiser.

Dave Madsen presents Craig 

Gordon with a check to the 

avalanche center 

 from Curt Kennedy. 

(Although the check is incorrectly made out to the Utah 

Avalanche Center, it is actually donated to the Friends of 

the Utah Avalanche Center. ) 

Craig Gordon photo. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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Pam Madsen organizes early arrivals near the Strawberry trailhead. The first-ever avalanche center snowmobile fundraising ride was a huge success thanks to the volunteer efforts of the Rocky Mountain Sledders, the Utah Snowmobile Association and the Wasatch 

Snowmobile Association. Craig Gordon photo.
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

53 

This flyer was distributed throughout the state by a hard working group of volunteer riders who support the 

UAC and its efforts in snowmobile forecasting and avalanche education. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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Uinta Season History: 

Coming off the heals of two big snow years we were hoping to achieve a trifecta this winter, but 

Mother Nature had other plans in store. While the winter looked promising with a foot or so of late 

summer snow falling at the end of September, more often than not, seasons that start with a bang too 

early, wind up being a bust. This winter fit that pattern. Rather than list every snow event, which 

wouldn’t amount to much text anyway, I’ll highlight the events, which made for a challenging avalanche 

season on a number of different fronts. 

November 

The first informational advisory was issued on November 8th, though there was only enough snow to 

ride around on the roads or on low angle grassy slopes. As is usually the case this time of year, we try 

to get folks thinking about avalanches and dusting off their rescue gear. We also try to encourage riders to sign up for our free avalanche awareness classes, which quickly fill up each year. By the 15th, a 

series of energetic storm systems slammed the region doubling our snowpack in 24 hours, creating the 

first real significant avalanche danger of the season. While several close calls occurred in the Salt Lake 

area mountains, the Uintas remained quiet, mostly because shallow snow depths didn’t allow folks to 

access the steep, mostly rocky avalanche prone terrain of the region. Mild, Caribbean-like temperatures helped the snowpack heal and adjust to the rapid load earlier in the month and many south-facing 

slopes shed their early winter coat, reverting back to their fall colors. A promising looking storm on 

the 23rd turned out to be a bust, falling apart as it hit the entrenched ridge, signaling a consistent pattern we’d have to live with for the next few months- lots of wind and not much snow. A sleeper of a 

storm did sneak into the region on the 28th, depositing nearly two feet of ultra light density snow along 

the upper elevations. The champagne powder was easily manageable and backcountry users enjoyed 

the first over-the-hood riding conditions of the year. November ended without incident. 

December 

Cold air aloft and cold smoke on the ground made for great powder riding conditions, though we 

knew it was only a matter of time before high pressure worked against us, weakening the snowpack, 

setting the stage for dangerous avalanches once winter returned from its hiatus. The weather pattern 

continued to tease us through the month of December and the predicted “big” storms never came to 

fruition. A few brush-bys deposited very light density snows, but there was never enough of a load to 

tweak our ever-weakening snowpack. As is often the case in dry years, one thing we did get was wind. 

On the 22nd a wind event roared into the area, scouring the upper elevations, transforming much of 

the big open terrain into an indistinguishable moonscape. Variable snow depths led to variable and 

pockety avalanche conditions. A splitting storm towards the end of the year nailed Denver and left us 

on the gradient of yet another blasting wind event. Now with a slab on top of weak faceted snow, people were able to trigger avalanches from a distance and two close calls occurred in the Whitney Basin. 

Only one of the avalanches was reported to us and Ted stumbled onto the other while performing 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

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fieldwork near Moffit Peak. While there were several human triggered hard slabs reported in the last 

week of December, the year ended quietly. 

January 

Winds ushered in the New Year forming another round of shallow hard slabs, leading to another 

round of human triggered avalanches we stumbled across. We lucked out on the 5th with an unexpected 15” of new snow overnight, but with no wind, sluff management skills were all that were 

needed to negotiate our recent windfall. A stormy period during the middle of the month produced 

about a foot and a half of very light density snow, but brutally cold conditions locked the snowpack in 

place. High pressure returned shortly after our “storm cycle” and the forecasts became a challenge in 

creative writing. It was the same old.... same old... and I began to feel like Bill Murray in the movie 

Groundhog Day. The big highlight of the month was the first annual avalanche fundraising ride held at 

Strawberry. The month paled in comparison. 

February 

Dave Ream from the Kamas Ranger District wallows in bottomless, faceted sugar snow created during the unusually dry January. Dave often helps Craig out and will usually accompany him at least one day a week. We’re 

grateful that Kamas helps partner with the UAC, providing experienced field partners like Dave and allowing 

Craig to use district vehicles and garage space. Craig Gordon photo. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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We limped along into February and the avalanche danger coincided with the lack of snow. With a generally LOW danger for most of the previous month I made efforts to warn users that once it started 

snowing... watch out! While there’s limited historic snow and avalanche data form the western 

Uinta’s, one thing I did know was I’d never seen a snowpack this weak before and feared for the day it 

began to storm in earnest. February 10th signaled a change in the weather and by the morning of the 

11th an avalanche warning was in effect. Warm temperatures, strong winds and about 10” of new snow 

with an inch of water fell overnight. Small natural and remotely triggered avalanches were seen 

throughout the range, but the slides were pockety in nature and the region didn’t experience the wide 

spread avalanche cycle like we expected. One ingredient missing was a bunch of triggers riding around 

in avalanche terrain. Another system slammed into the region Friday Feb.16th depositing 6”of dense 

snow and strong northwest winds averaging in the 30’s, gusting into the mid 50’s for several hours on 

the night of the 16th. 

 With a sunny weekend on tap we knew all the elements would come together for at least a number of 

close calls. All week we warned riders of the avalanche danger through our advisories and utilizing 

press releases and television interviews, unfortunately the intoxicating mixture of powder and sunshine 

proved to be a lethal cocktail on the 17th. 

The avalanche danger for the western Uintas on February 17th was rated CONSIDERABLE on all 

slopes steeper than 35 degrees, especially those with an east component in their aspect. The advisory 

made specific mention of the unusual avalanche conditions- “Our complex snowpack is problematic 

and it may allow you to ride some steep slopes throughout the range without incident, giving you a 

false sense of snow stability, luring you deeper into the avalanche dragon’s den. Yesterday’s strong 

winds deposited snow in unusual locations and further down slope than you might expect. Today you’ll 

need to carefully assess slopes on an individual basis and be diligent with safe travel techniques by only 

putting one person on the slope at a time. In addition, think about the consequences of triggering a 

slide. Avalanches triggered today have the possibility of breaking into deeper buried weak layers, creating a large, dangerous and possibly unsurvivable avalanche.” 

Five young snowmobilers, four males and one female (16-19 years old), began their day snowmobiling 

in the terrain surrounding the accident site. Most of them were wearing avalanche rescue gear, though 

those details are still being sifted through. Many clues to instability were missed along the way, including natural avalanches close to the accident site. In addition, they triggered at least one large hard slab 

avalanche without incident, about a 1⁄4 mile north of the accident site prior to the fatality. This slide 

was 2’-3’ deep, 250’ wide, running about 150’ vertically. It most likely emboldened the group, luring 

them deeper into the avalanche dragons den. This group was very familiar with the terrain and had triggered small avalanches in the area on past outings. 

Around 16:00 the group traveled to the southwest of the avalanche they just triggered and regrouped 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

57 

at the bottom of a south facing slope. Several riders climbed the 32 degree slope above them without 

incident. Sixteen year old Zachary Holmes began climbing the slope too, but when he neared the top, 

he began “side-hilling” towards a steeper adjacent slope which had more of an easterly aspect. As he 

changed aspect and slope angle, he triggered a large hard slab avalanche 2’-4’ deep and 300’-325’ wide. 

His partners turned their beacons on to receive and began searching. There was plenty of confusion 

and several random holes were dug 75’ uphill from where Zachary was finally located, buried 3’ under 

his snowmobile which was sticking out of the snow. After he was found, two young men stayed on the 

scene and began CPR while a male and female rode back to the trailhead to make a cell phone call and 

alert local authorities. Much to their dismay their phones didn’t work at the trailhead, but a family with 

an “OnStar” system in the vehicle placed a call and Wasatch County Search and Rescue was dispatched. 

Back at the scene, as the older brother performed CPR an Airmed helicopter located the accident site 

and dropped a flight nurse off at the scene. Zachary was flown to a local hospital where he died of 

traumatic injuries. 

Craig’s sled, parked on avalanche debris at the bottom of a steep wind loaded slope in Buck Basin. On Saturday 

February 17th a sixteen year old snowmobiler triggered this avalanche which killed him. Fortunately, the young 

man wore an avalanche beacon and his partners were equipped and prepared for a self rescue. While he was 

found rather quickly by other riders in his party, as is the case in a quarter of all avalanche fatalities, trauma 

inflicted during the avalanche killed this young rider. Craig Gordon photo. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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Another powerful storm ripped through the state on the 22nd and the cow-tipping winds overloaded 

many steep slopes throughout the range sending the region into a natural avalanche cycle. I issued an 

avalanche warning on the evening of the 22nd which lasted three days as winter roared back with a 

vengeance. Just getting to the mountains was nearly impossible and lack of access probably saved a few 

lives. 

March 

The first week of March brought yet another round of heavy snow and strong winds. Nearly six feet of 

snow fell from Feb.10th to March 3rd and when we could see, natural avalanching was widespread and 

significant throughout the region. While many slopes avalanched naturally, some waited for a trigger 

and on the 3rd a snowmobiler had a very close call when he triggered and was partially buried in a very 

deep avalanche near Tower Mountain. The crown was over 6’ deep and about 100 yards wide. The 

avalanche ran on weak, surgary snow near the ground and the rider was incredibly lucky to survive this 

close call. 

Craig stands next to the crown of a deep avalanche triggered by a very lucky snowmobiler who was partially 

buried. Craig Gordon photo. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

59 

By the second week of March the deep slab cycle was history and “the winter that wasn’t” headed in a 

different direction, this time throwing us an unexpected curve ball- a March warm up like none of us 

had ever experienced. Saint Paddy’s day was ushered in with record setting high temperatures and 

shallow overnight refreezes, prompting an avalanche warning for wet slab activity. Again, we utilized 

local media outlets to help spread the word about the unusual snow and avalanche conditions. There 

were several large natural avalanches over the course of the weekend and other than one close call 

late in the day on the 19th we managed to dodge yet another bullet by getting the word out to the 

masses. The month ended with cooler temperatures and a light dusting of snow. 

Dave Ream stands next to a large, bone crushing block of debris the size of a mini van. Craig Gordon photo. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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April 

The lackluster season ended earlier than usual as interest waned and the snow rapidly disappeared. 

While the normal forecast season lasts well into the middle of the month, corresponding with the 

state’s grooming schedule, this year both came to an abrupt halt. We ended our regularly scheduled 

advisories on April 8th, followed by a year end information statement giving users general guidelines and 

tips to enable them to make educated snow stability decisions in our absence. 

This small hard slab triggered the first day of March on a steep rocky break-over was merely a teaser. The big 

avalanches were yet to come. Jeramy Bristol photo. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

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This wet slab avalanche was triggered late in the day by a snowmobiler in the Thousand Peaks area of the 

Western Uinta Mountains during the March heat wave. John Marshall photo. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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Logan Area Mountains Season Summary 

By Toby Weed 

We’ll remember the winter of 06-07 as a particularly lean snow year in the Logan Area. A series of 

windy storms in mid-December led to dangerous avalanche conditions and several very large human 

triggered avalanches in the backcountry. In January, an extended high pressure system trapped us in 

the doldrums of smoggy, weak snow producing weather. A series of storms built a slab layer on the 

resultant faceted snow in February, leading to an extended period of unstable snow conditions and 

widespread natural avalanches. Knowing accidents were imminent, we issued Avalanche Warnings and 

Watches through the National Weather Service and pre-weekend press releases aimed at all modes of 

popular media. The media blitz was successful in Northern Utah. The word got out, and many normally popular slopes in the Logan Area remained untracked during this dangerous time. Thus countless tragedies were avoided, and unknown numbers of lives were saved. An unseasonably warm March 

essentially put the sorry powder season out of its misery. Many normally popular backcountry access 

points in the region remained unused all season due to lack of snow at lower elevations. 

Below normal snowfall in November limited access to upper elevations in the Bear River Range, and on 

December 1st, only 29” of snow containing 8 “ of water equivalent had accumulated at the Tony Grove 

Snotel. High pressure in the first week of December caused the development of surface hoar and near 

surface facets on upper elevation slopes. It started snowing on the 12th, and by Thursday the 14th, a 

couple feet of heavy snow containing over 3 inches of water accumulated, forming a heavy slab over 

the sugary weak layers. On a trip to Tony Grove on the 15th haunted by heart-stopping audible collapses, I observed several natural avalanches, which had run well out onto the lake, and I met a party on 

Chicken Hill whom had just triggered a “larger than expected” hard slab with a cornice-drop. The 

scene was set for a dangerous weekend in the backcountry, with a considerable danger and numerous 

powder-starved and high revved triggers set to overwhelm the region. Six more inches of fluffy snow 

fell on Saturday, and then the winds shifted, coming around from the northeast sustaining 30 mph with 

gusts in the 50s on Logan Peak. I was breathing a sigh of relief upon not hearing of any fatalities in the 

region over the weekend, when I rode up the gully approaching Naomi Peak on the 18th and spied evidence of a huge human triggered slab, two to four feet deep and encompassing the entire Castle Rock 

Cirque. Snowmobile tracks in and near the crown and the eastern flank of the very broad avalanche 

and those on the bed-surface of a similarly large slide in the nearby Upper White Pine Canyon told 

amazing survival stories that I have yet to hear in person. 

As the New-Year began, the Tony Grove Snotel reported 44 “of snow on the ground containing a bit 

less than 13” of water. On the 9th a freezing rain or rime event (depending on location) laid down a 

half-inch-thick, brittle crust on the snow surface across upper elevations of the Central Bear River 

Mountains. A strange mid-season snow drought and an extended high pressure system in January led 

to widespread development of depth hoar, and the shallow snowpack in many areas turned to a rotten 

mess made up of little else than large faceted crystals. On the 19th our friends group held their third 

annual fundraiser. Although attended by fewer people than in past years and slightly marred by the 

ongoing skier-snowmobiler land-use debate, it was a successful event. The focus on attracting snowmobilers was effective and a fair number came to the event, but at the sacrifice of many hard-core skiers who had attended in the past. What the friends billed as an opportunity for the community to 

share a bit of common ground—avalanche knowledge and safety; became a venue for subtle political 

discussion. Behind the scenes, polarization over access issues cast a negative vibe. Snowmobilers sat 

together in a group on one side of the room, some wearing politically charged t-shirts. Skiers grouped 

up around the gear table, a few donning leather Yamaha riding jackets while imitating engine noises in 

jest. Besides me and the friends, the only minglers between the two groups were mixed users 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

63 

(snowmobile riding skiers and boarders)...our hope for finding common ground. 

There was only 49 inches of snow with 14.7 inches of water on February 1st. Conditions were ripe 

for avalanches when snow finally started to accumulate again in mid-February. As the slab layer began 

to build on exceptionally weak underlying snow, people began triggering dangerous avalanches in the 

backcountry. With persistently unstable conditions present and the most popular backcountry weekends of the year looming, we made a concerted and successful effort to warn the public. In the Logan 

Area, the Herald-Journal published a handful of articles noting local conditions and I appeared on local 

T.V., and on Talk Radio (right after Rush Limbaugh) Undoubtedly, well publicized fatalities in and 

around Utah helped to get the word out, and many suspect slopes and historic avalanche paths remained untracked through the worst of the cycle. Continued storminess tipped the scales on many 

slopes, and large and long-running natural hard slab avalanches afflicted the Central Bear River and 

Wellsville Ranges in the last week of February 

With 85 inches of snow containing 19.4 inches of water at Tony Grove, things came to a head in the 

beginning of March. Early in the morning on March 2nd clearing revealed evidence of several very large 

and destructive natural hard slab avalanches visible with the naked eye from downtown Logan City. 

Not surprisingly, the largest of these occurred in the Wellsville Range, with very broad avalanches 

packing explosive air blasts releasing on depth hoar near the ground and running full path lengths of 

around 2500 vertical feet. Of substantially more interest to local backcountry users were several large 

naturals in the Logan Peak Area, particularly those in the very popular Providence Canyon. Among 

these, two large avalanches fell nearly 3000’ from near the summit Big Baldy Mountain to the snow-free 

canyon floor, slamming the well-traveled but seasonally un-maintained Providence Canyon Road. 

Drought conditions resumed in March, accompanied by exceptionally warm temperatures, and the 

snow quickly disappeared at lower elevations and on south facing slopes. A couple large wet slab avalanches ran in the Mill Hollow area on the 18th after several consecutive warm days and nights. 

On April 1st the Tony Grove site was one of the few in the state with just more than 50 percent of 

average water contained in the snow. There were 56” inches on the ground, with 24 inches of water 

equivalent. We found good access to upper elevations via the big avalanche paths in the Wellsville 

Range that had run in late February or early March. Like straight, 2000’ groomed runs, a dozen or so 

paths led directly from greening maple stands to generally stable spring snow in the Wellsville Mountain Wilderness. In the first week of April, a partly reported a sizable natural wet slab, probably released by cornice fall, in the High Creek Lake Area. In the same area on the 20th, the day after our 

largest storm in April dropped about 15 inches at the Tony Grove Snotel site, I saw evidence of a very 

broad natural wind slab (1-3’ deep by >800’ wide). I noted 14 unintentional human triggered avalanches this season in the Logan Area, amazingly with no known injuries fatalities or property damage. 12 were snowmobiler triggered and 2 were triggered by skiers. All but 3 of these avalanches 

were observed and unreported.... 

 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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Avalanche Incidents and Accidents 

If not for one fateful week in mid-February, Utah would have had zero fatalities for the season. This, in 

a year that, except for a few historians and old-timers, few had ever seen. We experienced what the 

Swiss avalanche scientist Andre Roch defined in the early 1940’s as a continental snowpack, one in 

which snowfall is light and instabilities persistent. Apropos to the season as well was his astute warning, “Remember, my friend, the avalanche does not know that you are an expert!" This in a season with 

such a weak, layered snowpack where collapsing and whoomphing, and remotely triggered slides were 

de rigeur. Many very experienced people took rides in avalanches this year, with some using some of 

their nine lives. 

By our count, which is far from exhaustive as not all incidents are reported, there were 88 unintentionally triggered avalanches, of which 43 were caught, 17 were partially or totally buried, 9 were injured and four killed. Of these unintentionally triggered slides, 33 were remotely triggered, or triggered from a distance rather than at the individual’s boards, snowshoes, or snowmachine. Three people died in separate incidents on February 17th and 18th, with another fatality on the 21st. Four is our 

ten year running average. The breakdown demographic was two snowmobilers, an out of bounds 

skier, and a backcountry skier. All male. 

11-14-06 Silver Fork – Three skiers caught, one partially buried, one fully buried, all OK.

Three skiers left the town of Alta for a ski tour into Big Cottonwood Canyon. They ascended the 

south facing slope above the town of Alta, then skiied down the gentle West Bowl, an east northeast 

facing slope. When they regrouped, they decided to ascend the steeper, more northerly facing slope 

The crown face on the Silver Fork avalanche averaged 2-3 feet deep and was around a third 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

65 

to regain the ridge. As they were ascending, the slope fractured 2-3’ deep and 2000’ wide on the weak 

early season faceted snow. All three were caught. One grabbed a tree and was not carried far but did 

lose a ski. Another was carried around 30 feet and was buried enough so that he was not able to 

move without digging himself out. The third was missing. 

The other two, aided by another nearby solo skier, initiated a search with avalanche transceivers and 

found a strong signal 150 feet downhill from where he was originally caught. The three struck him 

with the first attempt with an avalanche probe 4’ deep. When they uncovered him, he was face down, 

and fortunately his airway was clear. The victim’s labored breathing soon improved and he became 

coherent. Rescuers were contacted via a cell phone and a life flight helicopter was dispatched. He was 

able to ski himself down around 200 feet to where the helicopter was able to land. 

All of the skiers involved had some formal avalanche training but two of them had more training than 

the buried victim. With enthusiasm, they successfully skiied the low angle West Bowl without incident 

and without any signs of instability. It was clearly a different outcome on the steeper skin track to the 

ridge. Powder fever and Kodak courage played something of a role in this incident, as well as poor 

communication. Upon follow-up interviews, at least one member of the party had reservations about 

some of the decisions but did not speak up. Later when the group discussed the accident, the other 

two had reservations as well but there was not complete communication. This fits into the “no 

leader” category where no one is in charge of making sure complete communication is occurring. It 

should be noted that this was a textbook example of a perfect rescue which was accomplished only 

because the touring party had the proper rescue gear and was trained in using it. The danger had been 

rated as Considerable. 

2-3-07 Pfeifferhorn – Two climbers caught, one seriously injured.

Two 43 year old men who were attempting to climb the east ridge of the Pfeifferhorn triggered a small 

pencil hard wind slab on the steep southeast flank of the ridge. While the avalanche was reported to 

be small, both were carried over 150’ cliff-bands onto the snow-slope below. Rescue personnel from 

the both the Utah County and Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Department and Wasatch Backcountry Rescue were able to stabilize both men and sled them down to a safe landing zone on the Utah county 

side, where helicopters transported them down to a hospital in Salt Lake. It is not known whether 

they carried any rescue equipment, had avalanche training or had called the avalanche advisory. 

The Pfeifferhorn, or Little Matterhorn, sits along the exposed Little Cottonwood/American Fork ridgeline at over 11,000’ and is a common mountaineering destination in both summer and winter. While 

the wind slab that the two triggered was only 3-6” deep and 70-100’ wide, the danger clearly centered 

on the radical terrain below. The venerable avalanche researcher, Ron Perla put it this way: “Is the 

terrain suitable for avalanching? Can the snow slide? And, the last, salient point – what will happen if it 

does?” 

The Wasatch Range received 6-10” of new light density snow from January 30th-early February 2nd. 

Densities were generally less than 8%. Strong winds the evening of Feb 1st resulted in numerous Class 

1 and Class 2 avalanches in steep wind drifted terrain, with most being less than a foot deep and 60 

feet wide. Sustained strong west to northwest winds allowed avalanche control teams at the ski areas 

and backcountry skiers to trigger similar avalanches on Saturday February 3rd as well. The reported 

avalanches were generally class 1 or 2 (harmless to could potentially bury a person), and localized to 

steep wind drifted terrain. No natural avalanche activity was reported during the day and the danger 

had been rated as Moderate. 
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2-17-07 Western Uinta Mountains- One snowmobiler caught, buried and killed.

Five young snowmobilers, four males and one female (16-19 years old), began their day snowmobiling 

in the Daniels’ Summit portion of the Western Uintas. While most of them were wearing avalanche 

rescue gear, many clues to instability were missed along the way, including natural avalanches close to 

the accident site. Additionally, the party triggered at least one large 2-3’ deep 250’ wide hard slab avalanche 1⁄4 mile north of the accident site prior to the fatality. The group was very familiar with the terrain and had triggered small avalanches in the area on past outings. 

By late afternoon, the group traveled to the southwest of the avalanche they just triggered and regrouped at the bottom of a south facing slope. Several riders climbed the 32 degree slope above them 

without incident. The 16 year old victim followed, then continued “side-hilling” towards a steeper adjacent slope. As he changed aspect and slope angle, he triggered a large hard slab avalanche 2’-4’ deep 

and 300’-325’ wide. His partners turned their beacons on to receive and began searching. After he was 

found, two young men stayed on the scene and began CPR while the other two rode back to the trailhead to make a cell phone call and alert local authorities. An Airmed helicopter arrived and flew the 

victim to the local hospital where he later died of traumatic injuries. 

A series of storms began to affect the region beginning Saturday Feb. 10th through the 16th, providing 

the cohesive slab on top of a weak fragile snowpack. The avalanche danger was rated Considerable as 

the forecaster mentioned that any triggered slide could be unsurvivable. 

This is the sight of the fatality in the Uintas. The slope is relatively small but heavily wind loaded which is evident from the wind-stripped ridge in the right of the photo. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

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2-17-07 Signal Mountain in Sevier County near Richfield – One snowmobiler caught, buried, and killed. 

A 44 year old man high-marking a steep slope triggered a 3-4’ deep 100’ wide avalanche that completely buried him and his sled. Companions at the scene called for a rescue, but before rescuers 

could arrive, they randomly dug the search area, which was fairly small—70 x 30 feet. They found his 

snowmobile and while digging it out, found the victim’s hand. He was buried sitting up with his head 2-

3 feet deep and his hand was reaching upward. The victim did not respond to CPR. 

Although the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center does not issue advisories or provide avalanche 

education for that area, the forecast for the avalanche advisory for the nearby Manti Skyline area called 

the avalanche danger CONSIDERABLE, meaning that human triggered avalanches are “probable”. The 

Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center issued a state-wide press release on Friday, warning the public 

of especially tricky and dangerous avalanche conditions for the backcountry. 

2-18-07 Hell’s Canyon in the Snowbasin Backcountry – One Skier caught, carried, and 

killed. 

A father and his two sons, skiing at Snowbasin resort, left the access gate into Hell’s Canyon area with 

the objective to ski untracked powder. Earlier in the day, the ski patrol encountered them in the 

Porky area while they were hiking inbounds, and pointed out recent avalanches and talked to them 

about the potentially dangerous conditions. The group had little or no avalanche training and had no 

rescue gear. Details are still unclear, but the two boys skiied ahead of their father when the 17 year 

old triggered the slide that swept him 1500 vertical feet down the slope and was buried. He had significant trauma to his face and head and appeared to have died of trauma. His body was later recovThe avalanche near Richfield was another example of a small but lethal slide 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

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ered approximately 6 feet deep when ski patrollers probed the area. 

The avalanche initiated around 8,600’ on a northeast facing slope about 40-45 degrees in steepness 

with the crown depth was 2-3 feet, failing on weak underlying faceted snow. The slab was most likely 

composed of new, dense snow from the past two storms, between the 10th and 16th of February. The 

underlying facets are weak depth hoar that made up the entire snowpack before the recent storms. 

The Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center called the avalanche danger Considerable on the morning 

of February 18th, meaning that human triggered avalanches are “probable”, and they issued press releases on Friday as well as the morning of the accident, warning the public of especially tricky and dangerous avalanche conditions for the backcountry. It is believed that the father and sons did not consult 

the avalanche advisory or media reports. Since they were visiting from Massachusetts, it is likely that 

they knew little about avalanches, especially the potential consequences of getting caught in a slide. 

Hell’s Canyon is accessed off the tram Snowbasin. Part of the standard tram talk includes the statement “Traveling outside the marked ski area boundary is not recommended”. As you leave the top of 

the tram, avalanche signage includes an “Are You Beeping” sign and the Forest Service Utah Avalanche 

Center daily avalanche advisory is posted. After leaving the top of the tram, the Hell’s Canyon gate is 

accessed by skiing down, and then hiking up hill for several minutes to reach the Hells Canyon backcountry access gate. This gate is signed with a standard Forest Service brown sign, which displays the 

standard message of potential avalanche danger and no ski patrol services. 

2-21-07 Gobblers Knob – Solo ski tourer caught, carried and killed by trauma 

A party of three experienced backcountry skiers from Norway, familiar with the Wasatch terrain, set 

out for a day of ski touring in the Gobblers Knob/Mt. Raymond area. According to reports, the victim, 

seeking more challenging terrain, left his two partners at the Gobblers/Raymond divide and continued 

to the summit of Gobbler’s Knob with the plan to meet back at the trailhead within the hour. After 

waiting at the car for some time, the remaining two called 911 to initiate a search. A helicopter with 

personnel using night vision goggles verified tracks going into a 1-2’ deep and 250’ wide avalanche high 

on the peak with none coming out. The body recovery efforts by both Salt Lake Country Search and 

Rescue and Wasatch Backcountry Rescue began the following morning. The three Norwegians were all 

wearing rescue gear and had called the avalanche forecast that morning. The Utah Avalanche Center 

had rated the danger as “Considerable on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees facing northwest 

through northeast through southeast, where dangerous avalanches 1 to 3 feet deep can be triggered by 

people.” The forecaster, weary of the three previous fatalities that week, implored people to “Back off 

the steep stuff – if the close calls continue, someone else is going to get killed or hurt.” 

The area of the avalanche is not a classic descent off the peak and it is unknown whether the skier had 

intended to ski it or whether he was traversing across the starting zone to gain another ridge. A descent would have taken you a few hundred feet through some trees with some wandering to avoid 

some sections of cliff band. The south ridge of Gobblers is a steep, often corniced ridgeline with avalanche paths falling off both to the east and the west. Descending tourers are generally forced off parts 

of the ridge as sections of it are rocky and knife-edged. In the big picture, ridges are known to be areas of safety unless A: the ridge becomes steep and rounded, becoming in essence, terrain capable of 

producing a slide; or B: the terrain forces you off the ridge into a starting zone. Under certain circumstances, it may be warranted to remove skis or board and boot up or down through these features. 

2-27-07 Hell’s Canyon in the Snowbasin Backcountry - One skier caught, carried, buried 

to eyes, dug himself out, OK.

Four local skiers in their 20’s and 30’s, looking for untracked powder, entered the Hell’s Canyon area 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

69 

U.S. Avalanche Fatalities 1950-2007

0

5

10

15

2 0

2 5

3 0

3 5

4 0

1953195419551956195719581959196019611962196319641965196619671968196919701971197219731974197519761977197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007

Winter

Number of Fatalities

5-Year M oving Average 

adjacent to the ski area boundary. Even though they knew the terrain well, none of them had more 

than a minimal understanding of avalanches. The victim, a 21 year old male, brought avalanche rescue 

gear with him to the area that day, but because the plan was to spend the day in area, he left it in the 

car. There was no discussion of avalanches, other possible risks, or of travel protocols while traveling 

in this terrain. The victim made the first few turns into the area, then abruptly changed his mind on 

the danger, while the other three remained high on the ridge. While traversing back to them, he triggered a 2-3’ deep avalanche, carrying him 1000’ down the slope. When the snow came to a stop he 

was tightly buried up to his eyes with his left hand sticking out. 

This terrain is very popular because it provides the adventure of backcountry skiing with very easy access back to the Snowbasin ski area. The Canyon faces east with steep shots from the north, east, and 

south all dropping into the drainage at the bottom. All of the slide paths converge at the bottom of 

this drainage making it a very dangerous place during high avalanche danger. This group did not really 

consider the differences between skiing in the ski area where avalanche control has been done, and the 

very different uncontrolled terrain that is just the other side of the boundary. The close proximity and 

easy access to backcountry terrain in that area easily lures people into a sense of complacency in dealing with avalanches. 

This group did eventually realize that they were getting into dangerous terrain with dangerous conditions. And they made the right decision to not continue. By not having good travel techniques and a 

good plan from the start they got separated and the victim was left alone. When he was caught in the 

slide no one in the group was aware of his situation. If it were not for the luck of every thing lining up 

just right for him this could have very easily had a very tragic ending. The victim later recounted that 

“things unraveled very quickly once we left the ski area boundary. I was very fortunate the way that 

things turned out. No matter how euphoric the powder skiing is you still have to use your brain.” An 

avalanche warning had been issued for the mountains of northern Utah that morning. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

70 

U.S. Avalanche Fatalities by State

Past 10 years

AK

18%

CO

21%

MT

17% NM

0%

NH

1%

CA

3%

AZ

0%

NV

1%

NY

0%

UT

14%

OR

0%

WA

8%

WY

9%

ID

8%

U.S. Avalanche Fatalities by Activity

Past 5 Seasons

Snow boarders

16%

M isc Recreation

9%

Clim bers

8%

Patrollers

0%

Snow m obilers

41%

Motorists/Highw ay 

workers

0%

Residents

2%

Skiers

23%

Others at Work

1%
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

71 

Date Region Location Avalanche 

Type Trigger Elevation 

(feet) Aspect Steepness Depth Width 

(feet)

Vertical 

(feet)

Weak 

Layer

Photo 

(click box)

Profile 

(click box)

# 

Triggered Caught Carried Injured Part/ Full 

Burial Fatility Comments

4-22-07 SLC Figure 8 Hill 

near Brighton Wind Slab Skier 10,000 NE 40 6" 70 800 new snow Yes 1 1 1

Skier triggered wind slab on ski cut and carried 

short distance, ran to bottom. Ran on frozen meltfreeze crust

3-23-07 SLC Thunder Bowl - 

Bells Canyon Wind Slab Skier 10,500 2-6" 30 new snow Yes 1 11 Skier triggered slide, caught, carried but self-arrested on 

bed surface. Lost some equipment

3-20-07 SLC Snake Creek 

near Brighton wet slab snowboard NE-E 42 600 1 Reported with snowboard tracks as the trigger - 

unknown exactly when it occurred

3-13-07 SLC Pioneer Ridge Slab Skier N 2-4' 150' 600' facets? 1 0 Triggered by a party of four, below them.

3-13-07 SLC Flagstaff wet Slab Skier 10,000' S 1-3' 200' 1,300' facets yes 2 0 Skier remotely triggered two slides, that narrowly 

missed two people below near road.

3-11-07 SLC Superior Wet Loose Skiers 11k South 1000'+ 1

3-11-07 SLC AF-Dry Fork Soft Slab (2) Skier 10,500' SE 2' 200' yes 2 11 1 Triggered second slab while getting off the first. 

Buried to waist. 930a.m.

3-10-07 SLC Desolation Hard Slab Skier 9600' NNW 1-3' 50' facets 1

3-10-07 SLC Days Fork Soft Slab Snow 

boarder 10,000' NE 10" 150' new snow yes 1

3-10-07 SLC Mary Ellen 

Gulch

Soft/Hard 

Slab snow mobile 11,000' NE 1-3' 50' 1000' yes 1 11

3-10-07 SLC Gobbler's Knob Hard Slab Skierremote 10,000' NW 2-3' 400' depth 

hoar yes yes 1

3-5-07 PC Murdock PK Hard Slab skier 9400' NW 3' 100' facets 1 Triggered remotely.

3-4-07 SLC Grandview Pk 

(Sessions) Hard Slab snow mobile 9200' N 5' 700' 2000' facets yes 1 11 1

3-2-07 SLC Grizzly Gulch Hard Slab Snowboard 9,000 S 40 1-1.5' 100 80 facets yes 1

People descendig Grizzly Gulch near homes in the 

area triggered wind slab and partially buried two 

people, one with just their hand sticking out.

2-28-07 SLC American Fork Hard slab helicopter 9,500 N 40 2-3 200 facets 1 Remotely triggered when a helicopter landed on 

the flat ridge above

2-26-07 SLC South Monitor Cornice Fall Skier 9,800 E 80' 1 Large cornice broke off 5' from skier on the ridge.

2-26-07 SLC Mineral Fk BCC Hard Slab Skier 9000' NE 3' 300' facets 1 Remotely triggered, took out tracks from the 

previous day from same party.

2-25-07 SLC Deer Valley 

Backcountry

Soft/Hard 

Slab

Skierremote 8600' E 30 1-2' 150' 1 Pulled back onto low angle terrain

2-25-07 Ogden James Peak Soft slab Skier 8800' NNE 30-35 1-2' 100' 400' 1

2-25-07 SLC Daly Canyon Soft slab Skier 8600' E 1.5-2' 150' yes 1 Took out a few layers of new snow.

2-24-07 Ogden James Peak Soft Slab Skier 9000' N 12-18" 50' 1

2-24-07 SLC West Porter Hard Slab Cornice 9300' NE 2-2.5' 80' facets yes 1

2-24-07 SLC Little Water 

Peak Hard slab Skierremote 9400' NE 33 2-3' 150' 400' yes 1

2-21-07 SLC Gobblers Knob -

southeast face skier 9,800 SE 40 2 100 facets 1 11 1 1 Fatality. Lone skier triggered on descent. Was 

missing and rescuers noticed the avalanche.

2-20-07 SLC out-of-bounds 

Brighton Hard Slab skier 9800' NW 2' 75' facets yes 1 1 "Backdoor" just out form the top of Millicent lift.

2-20-07 SLC High Ivory, 

Cardiff Fork Slab skier 10,500' E 35+ 2-3.5' 300' 700' facets yes 2 1 Broke above 3rd skier, who got out to side. 

Remotely triggered a second slide. 

2-20-07 SLC Raymond 

Shoulder Slab skier 9600' SE 35+ 1-2' 100' yes 1 1 Skied out to side.

2-19-07 Ogden Bountiful area Soft Slab ? yes 1

2-19-07 Ogden Bountiful area Soft Slab Snow 

mobiler 9000' N yes 1 Snowmobiler unintentionally released slide, no one

hurt.

2-18-07 Ogden James Peak Hard Slab Skier 9300' NE 14" 1 11 Skier caught and carried

2-18-07 Ogden Hell's Canyon Soft Slab Skier 9500' NE 1 111 1 1 Fatality

2-17-07 Richfield Sevier Plateau Hard Slab Snow 

mobile 1 111 1 1 Fatality

2-17-07 Uintas Tower Mountain Hard Slab Snow 

mobile 1 331 1 1 Fatality

2-17-07 Ogden James Peak Hard Slab Skier 9500' E 1 11 1

2-17-07 SLC Little Superior Hard Slab Snow 

mobile 10,500' NW/NE 1-4' 300' facets 1

2-17-07 SLC Little Water 

Peak Hard Slab Skier 9600' E 16" 100' SH yes Yes 1 1 1 1

2-17-07 SLC Cardiac Ridge Hard Slab Skier 10,600' NE 2-4' 450' 1500' facets 1 11 1 Uninjured, but lost poles in 1000' ride.

2-17-07 SLC Grizzly Gulch Soft Slab Snow 

boarder 9300' NE 2' 50' 1 11 1 Reportedly buried up to his neck

2-14-07 SLC Clayton Peak 

near Brighton Soft Slab Snow 

boarder 10,000 E 40 1 50 250 facets yes 1 11

Spectacular video of a snowboarder triggering an 

avalanche near Guradsman's Pass. He was caught 

but escaped to the side, barely missing trees. 

2-14-07 SLC Flanigans - 

Silver Fork Hard Slab Skier 9,400 NW 2 facets 1 Skier collapsed slope at top and about a third of 

Flanigans avalanched about 2' deep.

2-14-07 Provo Box Elder North

Chute Hard Slab Skier 9,800 N 2-3 60 1000 Yes 1

Triggered on ski cut. Barely avoided getting 

caught. Repeater with faceted snow on bed 

surface.

2-12-07 Provo Big Springs Soft Slab Skier 7400' 18-24" 50-100' 10-30' Facets Yes 1 Skier unintentionally triggered a collapse which 

released gully walls.

2-12-07 SLC Clayton Peak Soft Slab ? 9800' NE 35+ 2' 40-60' 200' Facets 3 Several pockets triggered from different skiers. 

Pulling out onto lower angled slopes.

2-12-07 SLC Tuscarora Hard Slab Skier 10,400' 1 Skier triggered, caught and carried, ended up on 

top.

2-12-07 SLC Figure 8 Hill Soft Slab Skier 9800' N 38 1 Tracks going into fracture line and coming off of 

debris at bottom.

2-12-07 SLC Twin Lakes Pass Soft Slab Skier 10,000' ENE 40 2' 60 300 facets yes 2 Skier unintentionally had cornice break, triggered 

slide below. Then intentionally triggered another.

2-12-07 SLC White Pine Skier 1 Skier triggered, separate from below. Details also 

vague.

2-12-07 SLC White Pine Soft Slab Skier 9,600 NE 40 2 1500 1000 facets yes 1

Very wide avalanche took out 3 slopes at once. 

Skier triggered on descent and slide took out up 

and down tracks-very lucky.

2-11-07 PC

S. of Deer 

Valley near 

road to Midway

Soft Slab Snow 

boarder 8,500 SE? 2 facets 3 11 Snowboarders triggered 2-3 avalanches while 

while they videoed. One caught and carried. 

2-11-07 SLC Canyons 

Backcountry Soft Slab Skierremote 9100' N 40 8-10" 25' facets 1

2-5-07 SLC Cinder Chutes Soft slab Skiers 9,600 ENE 35-40 19" 200 600 Facets Yes 2 Skiers unintentionally triggered slides on 2-4-07. 

Snow safety avalanched adjacent 2-5-07.

Unintentionally triggered avalanches - Wasatch and Uinta Mountains 2006-07
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

72 

Date Region Location Avalanche 

Type Trigger Elevation 

(feet) Aspect Steepness Depth Width 

(feet)

Vertical 

(feet)

Weak 

Layer

Photo 

(click box)

Profile 

(click box)

# 

Triggered Caught Carried Injured Part/ Full 

Burial Fatility Comments

Unintentionally triggered avalanches - Wasatch and Uinta Mountains 2006-07

2-4-07 SLC Little Water 

Peak Soft slab Skierremote 9600' NNE 1' 35' facets yes 1 triggered from 15-20' away.

2-3-07 SLC Murdock PK Soft Slab Dog 9400' NNE 40 8" 10-15' 1 Dog was able to dog-paddle off to side and avoid 

burial in 3-4' debris pile.

2-3-07 SLC Scott Peak Hard Slab Skier 10k NE 2-3' 65' facets 1 1 1 4th skier on slope, avalanche partially buried one 

of skiers below.

2-3-07 SLC Pfeifferhorn Hard Slab Snow shoers 11,000' SE 3-6" 70' 700' wind slab yes 1 2 2 2 Accident report here.

2-3-07 Provo Timponeeke Soft/Hard 

Slab

Skierremote 9000' E 10-24" up to 400' facets/ SH yes 3 Remotely triggered from ridgeline: all three slides.

1-6-07 SLC Soldier Fk Soft slab Skier 9000' NE 35 4-8" 60' wind slab yes 1 Remotely triggered from ridgeline

1-5-07 SLC Twin Lakes Pass Soft Slab Skier 10,100' NE 38 8" 15' 150' new snow yes 1 Very minor slide but triggered remotely from about

15' away.

1-5-07 SLC Superior Soft Slab Skier 10,500 SSE 38 6-10" 40' 800'+ new snow 1 Fracture propagated above skier about 50', no one 

caught.

12-27-06 SLC Red Pine Hard Slab Skier 10,000 W 40 .5 - 2.5 100 100 Facets? 1 Skier unintentionally triggered a wind slab and 

skied off to the side. 

12-27-06 SLC Days Fork Hard Slab Skier 9,500 E 35 1-2 50 50 Facets yes 1 Skiers triggered hard slab from flat slopes nearby. 

Slide was on wind loaded gully side

12-24-06 SLC Home Run/PC 

ridgeline Soft slab Skierremote 9200' E 12" 1

12-24-06 SLC Scott Peak Soft slab Skierremote 10,000' East 6-12" 75' 300' Facets yes 1 remotely triggered from ridgeline

12-24-06 SLC

American

Fork/Eagles 

Run

Soft/Hard 

Slab Skier 9800'? E 1-2.5' 1 1 No other info

12-24-06 SLC Scott Peak Soft Slab Skier 10,000' NE 10-16" 100' 200' 1 11 arrested on bed surface

12-23-06 SLC Pioneer Ridge Soft/Hard 

Slab

Snowboarder 10,300' NNE 39-40 8-24" 130' 800' Surface 

Hoar yes 1 Neither were caught. Suspect it was remotely 

triggered from shallow superweak zone 5' above.

12-21-06 SLC Tuscarora Wind Slab Skier 10,500 E 40 8" 1

Skier triggered shallow wind slab on hard jump 

turn halfway down. Broke at skis and skied off to 

side. Not caught.

12-20-06 SLC Snake Creek Soft Slab Skier 10,000 E 35-40 10-24" 45' 400' Facets yes 1 1 1 Collapse failure of facets under a crust caused slide

that took skier for a short ride, caught tree.

11-30-06 Ogden Whiskey Hill ? Snowmobile ? ?? ? ? ? ? 1 Vague details of a snomobiler triggering a slide 

from the top that ran into the trees.

11-15-06 SLC Little Superior Hard Skier 10,500 NE 40 3 100 Facets 1 1 Lone skier skied of moving slab. Reported by 

another party

11-14-06 SLC Grizzly Gulch Hard skier 9,700-

9,900 N >35 1-2' 400'+ Facets 2 Two slides, at least on remotely triggered from 

below and to the side.

11-14-06 SLC Silver Fork Hard Skier 10,000 N 35-40 2-3' 1500' 1000 Facets 1 3 2 3 people caught on up track, one completely buried, dug 

out alive. Preliminary report.

11-13-06 SLC Albion Basin soft slab - 

remote Skier 10,200' NE 12-24" 70' 400' Facets 1 11 1 Skier remotely triggered slide engulfing another 

skier below who was buried to their neck.

11-12-06 SLC Albion Basin soft slab Skier 10,000'+ NW ? 1' 30 100 Facets 1 Skier triggered slide in terrain trap

11-12-06 SLC Albion Basin soft slab Skier 10,000' NE 35+ 1.5' 50-75 ? Facets Yes 2 2 skiers triggered 2 slides. Flanks connected

88 32 23 5 14 4

A very close call in White Pine Canyon. Here an avalanche covers the climbing track of a group of experienced 

skiers. They triggered the avalanche while descending. Luckily, they were in a safe spot. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

73 

Date

Male 

Deaths 

Female 

Deaths Location Activity Skier Climber

Snow

boarder

Snow

mobiler

Other 

Recreation Worker Resident

9-Mar-58 2 Snowbasin Rescuer 2

29-Mar-64 1 Snowbasin Worker 1

31-Dec-65 1 Park City In-bounds skier 1

12-Feb-67 2 Pharoah’s Glen Climbers 2

19-Feb-68 1 Rock Canyon Hiker 1

29-Jan-70 1 Alta In-bounds skier 1

29-Jan-73 1 Park West In-bounds skier 1

6-Jan-76 1 Alta Out of bounds skier 1

3-Mar-77 1 Snowbird In-bounds skier 1

19-Jan-79 1 Helper Worker 1

2-Apr-79 1 Lake Desolation Backcountry skier 1

11-Jan-80 1 Evergreen Ridge Out of bounds skier 1

1-Feb-81 1 Cardiff Hiker 1

1-Mar-81 1 Millcreek Backcountry skier 1

22-Mar-82 1 near Park West Backcountry skier 1

2-Jan-84 1 Superior Peak Backcountry skier 1

22-Feb-85 1 Near Powder Mountain Backcountry skier 1

19-Mar-85 1 Park City In-bounds wet slide 1

13-Nov-85 2 Sunset Peak Backcountry skiers 2

6-Jan-86 1 Provo Canyon Backcountry skier 1

17-Feb-86 1 Big Cottonwood Canyon Backcountry snowboarder 1

19-Feb-86 1 Alta In bounds skier 1

20-Nov-86 1 Sugarloaf, Alta Hiker in unopened area 1

15-Feb-87 1 Twin Lakes Reservoir Backcountry skier 1

25-Nov-89 1 Tony Grove Lake, Logan Backcountry skier 1

12-Feb-92 3 1 Gold Basin, La Sal Mtns Backcountry vskiers 4

1-Apr-92 1 Mineral Basin, near Snowbird Backcountry skier 1

16-Jan-93 1 Sundance (closed area) Backcountry skier 1

25-Feb-93 1 Pinecrest, Emig. Cyn. Backcountry skier 1

3-Apr-93 1 Wolverine Cirque Backcountry skier 1

18-Feb-94 1 10,420 Peak, B.C.C. Backcountry skier 1

7-Nov-94 1 Snowbird (pre-season) Backcountry skier 1

14-Jan-95 2 Ben Lomond, near Ogden Snowmobilers 2

23-Jan-95 1 Midway Resident killed in roof slide 1

12-Feb-95 1 Gobbler’s Knob, B.C.C. Backcountry skier 1

2-Feb-96 1 Solitude patroller Worker 1

27-Mar-96 1 Maybird Gulch, L.C.C. Backcountry skier 1

7-Dec-96 1 Bountiful Peak Snowmobiler 1

26-Dec-96 1 Flagstaff Peak Backcountry snowboarder 1

11-Jan-97 3 Logan Peak Three campers 3

25-Jan-97 1 Provo Canyon Climber 1

17-Jan-98 1 Near Coleville Snowmobiler 1

18-Jan-98 1 Sanpete County Snowmobiler 1

26-Feb-98 1 Near Weber State hiker (possible suicide) 1

7-Nov-98 1 Snowbird (pre-season) Snowboarder 1

2-Jan-99 2 Wasatch Plateau Snowboarders 2

29-Jan-99 1 Mt. Nebo Snowmobiler 1

6-Feb-99 1 Little Willow Canyon Hiker 1

11-Jan-00 1 1 Squaretop Out of bounds Skiers 2

14-Dec-01 1 Willard Basin Snowmobiler 1

27-Feb-01 1 Near Canyons Resort Out of bounds Skier 1

10-Mar-01 2 Uinta Mtns near Oakly Snowmobiler 2

28-Apr-01 2 Stairs Gulch, BCC Climbers 2

31-Jan-02 1 Windy Ridge, Uinta Mtns. Backcountry Skier 1

16-Mar-02 2 Pioneer Ridge near Brighton Out of bounds Snowboarders 2

15-Feb-03 1 Gobbler’s Knob, B.C.C. Skier 1

26-Dec-03 3 Aspen Grove, Timpanogos Snowboarders 3

26-Feb-04 1 Empire Canyon - Park City Snowshoer 1

10-Dec-04 1 Twin Lakes Pass Skier 1

11-Dec-04 1 Trout Creek, Uintas Snowmobiler 1

11-Dec-04 2 Mineral Fork Snowshoer 2

8-Jan-05 1 Ephriam Canyon, Wstch Plt Snowboarder 1

8-Jan-05 1 Choke Cherry, Wasatch Plt Snowmobiler 1

14-Jan-05 1 Dutch's Draw Snowborder 1

31-Mar-05 1 Eccles Peak, Monte Cristo Rg Snowmobiler 1

31-Dec-05 1 Mt Timpanogos Snowshoer 1

11-Mar-06 1 Taylor Canyon near Mt Ogden Snowboarder 1

3-Apr-06 1 Pioneer Ridge near Brighton Snowboarder 1

17-Feb-07 1 Signal Mountain, Sevier County Snowmobiler 1

17-Feb-07 1 Tower Mountain, Uintas Snowmobiler 1

18-Feb-07 1 Hell's Canyon-Ogden Mtns Skier 1

21-Feb-07 1 Gobbler’s Knob, B.C.C. Skier 1

Male Female Male & Female 1958 season - Present 38 5 14 14 12 5 1

Totals 85 4 89 Past 5 seasons 5 0 9 5 4 0 0

Percentage 95.5% 4.5% 100% Past 10 seasons 8 2 12 11 6 0 0

Avalanche Fatalities in Utah 1958-2006 - By Activity
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

74 

Avalanche Education 

We feel that avalanche education is an essential part of staying alive in avalanche terrain. For the past 

two winters, we have emphasized reaching the people who are unaware of avalanches, don’t understand their potential danger and power, or don’t recognize that they travel in avalanche terrain. Our 

program tries to not only give people the basics of avalanche knowledge, but to also create and maintain an avalanche culture, where people learn from their peers. 

We teach many free avalanche awareness classes throughout the season, partially to give people the 

basics of how to stay alive, but also to inspire them to take a more detailed, multi-day avalanche class 

from the private sector. The Know Before You Go program gave an incredible 119 talks to 22,000 

youth. In addition, our staff taught 33 avalanche classes and directly reached over 3000 people. Evelyn Lees staffed the Avalanche Awareness booth at the 3-day Natural Resources Fair in Richfield, which 

had an attendance of over 2,000 students and families. 

Avalanche Awareness Week, created four seasons ago by Roger Kehr, was very successful again this 

year. Jon Huntsman, Utah’s Governor, helped kick off the week with a proclamation signing, declaring 

the last week of January “Avalanche Awareness Week”. The week consisted of a media blitz along with 

several classes offered both indoors and in the field, culminating with a fundraising dinner featuring our 

newest partner in avalanche education, key note speaker and Olympic gold medalist, Jim Shea. The 

Canyons Ski Resort, another instrumental partner in avalanche awareness, in conjunction with the 

Friends of the Utah 

Avalanche Center 

helped host the events. 

Many thanks go out to 

Roger Kehr, Colleen 

Graham and Scott Pierpont for organizing the 

event, and to our great 

partner, The Canyons 

Ski Resort, for being 

such gracious hosts. 

Bruce Tremper demonstrates the Extended Column Test on the crown face of a 

recent avalanche. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

75 

Date Staff Event No. people

12/1/2001 Weed Avalanche Awareness Talk - Private Home in Syracuse (Ken Spomer) 30

10/4/06 Tremper International Snow Science Workshop - Telluride CO 600

11/10/2006

Tremper, Gordon, 

Hardesty Blasters Cinic 250

11/16/06 Tremper Kirkhams - Avalanche Awareness 60

11/21/2006 Weed Avalanche Awareness Talk - LRD offices 20

11/28/2006 Hardesty SLC REI Avalanche Awareness 200

12/4/2006 Lees ACE Womens avalanche clinic 12

12/6/2006 Weed Avalanche Awareness Talk - The Directive (snowboard shop in Logan) 10

12/7/06 Lees Sandy REI Avalanche Awareness 50

12/7/2006 Weed Basic Avalanche Class - Utah State University Outdoor Recreation Center 40

12/9/2006

Weed,Louviere, 

Kikkert ORC Basic Avalanche Field Session - Garden City/Swan Peak 

12/12/2006 Tremper REI - Science of Avalanches 120

12/14/06 Tremper Wasatch Mountain Club - Avalanche Awareness 150

12/14/2006 Weed Avalanche Awareness Talk - LRD offices 20

12/17/06 Tremper Rosignol class - Canyons Resort 50

12/22/06 Hardesty Pleasant Grove Ranger District 12

1/3/07 Tremper Life Flight - Avalanche Awareness 60

1/5/07 Tremper Park City - Science of Avalanches 100

1/8/07 Tremper Snow Hydrology class U of U - Avalanche Safety 25

1/17/07 Tremper Avalanche history and awareness 20

1/19/2007 Tremper, Hardesty, 

Gordon Backcountry.com course at Canyons 100

1/19/2007 Weed Avalanches in the Logan Area - FUAC in Logan Fundraiser 50

1/26/07 Tremper Outdoor Retailer Show - Avalanche Awarness 25

1/26/2007 Weed Level One Avalanche - Classroom LRD offices 10

1/27/2007 Weed, Kikkert Level One Field Session #1 - Beaver Mountain 10

2/3/07 Tremper Snowbird Neurosurgeons Conference - Avalanche Awareness 50

2/3/2007 Weed, Kikkert Level One Field Session #2 - Maple Bench-Coldwater Trail 10

2/8/07 Kobernik Sandy REI Avalanche Awareness

2/13/2007 Weed Avalanche Awareness for Rescuers - Rich County SAR 15

3/22/07 Lees ACE Womens avalanche clinic 12

3/29/2007 Weed Avalanche Talk - Boy Scouts - Providence 20

1/13/07- 

1/15/07

Lees, Hardesty, 

Kobernik FUAFC 3-day Level I Avalanche class 30

2/17/07- 

2/19/07

Tremper, Hradesty, 

Kobernik FUAFC 3-day Level I Avalanche class 30

4/19-21/07 Lees Richfield Natural Resources Fair - Booth and information 1000

UAC Avalanche Education 2006-07

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO 2006-2007

Date Staff Event No. people

7/5/2006 Gordon National Wildlife Foundation 47

10/6/2006 Morris Ames Academy 94

10/7/2006 Gordon Ames Academy 101

10/19/2006 Gordon Hill Airforce Base 36

10/24/2006 Gordon Cedar City BOE 84

10/25/2006 Gordon Kaysville Scout Group 33

11/2/2006 Gordon William Pen Elementary 319

11/6/2006 Gordon Hill Airforce Base 36

11/7/2006 Gordon Salt Lake Rotary Club 216

11/9/2006 Gordon Davis County Search and Rescue 48

11/10/2006 Wewer/Bloom Davis County Scout Group 104

11/14/2006 Lee McGillis School 24

11/18/2006 Gordon Our Lady of the Snows 83

11/20/2006 Lee Park City High School ( 4 talks) 360

11/20/2006 Garcia Butler Elementary 98
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

76 

11/21/2006 Lee Park City High School ( 4 talks) 328

11/27/2006 Lee Treasure Mtn Middle School ( 5 talks) 205

11/28/2006 Lee Treasure Mtn Middle School ( 5 talks) 221

11/29/2006 Wewer Hyrum Middle School (2 talks) 1017

11/30/2007 Morris Churchill Junior High School 254

11/30/2006 Gordon Sandy REI 103

12/1/2006 Gordon Evanston High School ( 4 talks) 637

12/1/2006 Gordon Evanston Middle School 412

12/4/2006 Hutchinson Rocky Mountain Middle School( 2 talks) 595

12/7/2006 Gordon BYU Ski Club 37

12/9/2006 Gordon U of U Ski Club 19

12/11/2006 Gordon Salt Lake Ranger District 11

12/11/2006 Fletcher/Whatley South Davis Junior High School ( 6 talks) 822

12/12/2006 Wewer/Fletcher Eden Scout Group 60

12/13/2006 Gordon Morgan Junior High School 648

12/14/2006 Gordon Timponogas Hospital 67

12/15/2006 Morris Brigham Intermediate High School 637

12/18/2006 Bloom Snowcrest Junior High School 352

12/18/2006 Garcia Entheos Academy 27

12/19/2006 Lee Hunter Junior High School 88

12/20/2006 Lee North Summit Middle School 295

12/20/2006 Lee North Summit High School 303

12/20/2006 Lee South Summit High School 412

12/21/2006 Richards Bonneville Junior High School 1100

12/21/2006 Gordon Sandy REI 63

1/1/2007 Gordon The Residences at Deer Valley 15

1/4/2007 Richards Olympus Junior High School 846

1/5/2007 Morris Fort Herriman Junior High School( 2 talks) 931

1/5/2007 Morris Indian Hills Middle School 1210

1/6/2007 Gordon Westminster College 41

1/8/2007 Whatley Saint Ambrose Catholic Church 43

1/10/2007 Gordon Sandy REI 71

1/10/2007 Trotter Springville Scout Group 129

1/12/2007 Gordon Steeps Camp 18

1/16/2007 Trotter Utah County EMS 31

1/16/2007 Gordon Wasatch Backcountry Rescue 88

1/16/2007 Gordon Goldman Sachs 23

1/16/2007 Trotter Salem Scout Group 43

1/18/2007 Trotter Utah Valley State College 29

1/18/2007 Gordon Backcountry.Com 31

1/19/2007 Morris Butler Middle School 1127

1/19/2007 Morris Roy Junior High School 897

1/20/2007 Gordon/UAC Staff Backcountry.Com(Field Day) 52

1/20/2007 Trotter Wasatch County Search and Rescue 10

1/20/2007 Trotter Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue Dogs 14

1/22/2007 Gordon AMES School 37

1/22/2007 Garcia Central Davis Junior High School 1100

1/24/2007 Richards Kaysville Scout Group 68

1/24/2007 Gordon REI Sandy 43

1/25/2007 Lee Itineris Early College High School 167

1/25/2007 Richards Kennedy Junior High School 1255
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

77 

1/29/2007 Gordon The Residences at Deer Valley 8

1/30/2007 Trotter Payson Junior High School 94

1/31/2007 Trotter Highland Scout Group 60

2/6/2007 Gordon REI- 33rd South 67

2/6/2007 Whatley Sandy Scout Group 48

2/9/2007 Gordon Steeps Camp 21

2/9/2007 Scroggin Evanston Scout Group 96

2/13/2007 Gordon Hunter Junior High School 187

2/14/2007 Whatley Holladay Scout Group 86

2/19/2007 Garcia Park City Olympic Park 12

2/20/2007 Gordon Brighton Ski Resort 118

2/22/2007 Morris Willow Valley Middle School(2 talks) 484

2/22/2007 Morris Logan Middle School (2 talks) 1268

2/22/2007 Richards Mount Harmon Junior High School 632

2/23/2007 Gordon Steeps Camp 26

2/23/2007 Hutchinson The Residences at Deer Valley 17

2/26/2007 Gordon Kern River Gas Transmission/Engineering 27

2/26/2007 Gordon The Residences at Deer Valley 6

2/26/2007 Trotter North Sevier Middle School 202

3/8/2007 Whatley Highland 29th Ward 48

3/17/2007 Gordon Wilderness Medicine Clinic 89

3/19/2007 Gordon Alta Rustler Lodge 28

3/22/2007 Gordon Island View RTC 57

3/26/2007 Gordon The Residences at Deer Valley 18

4/6/2007 Gordon Backcountry.Com (2 talks) 37

Total Talks 119 22451
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

78 

Date Staff Agency Subject

National or Inter-national Television InterviewNational or Inter-national Television InformationNational or Inter-national Print MediaLocal Television InterviewsNational Radio InterviewsLocal Radio InterviewsLocal Print Interviews

2/15/2006 Weed Herald-Journal general safety/ current local conditions x

10/1/2006 Weed The Avalanche Review 2005-2006 season summary x

11/15/2006 Lees KSL Radio current season avalanche info x

11/16/2006 Lees KSL Radio current season avalanche info x

11/17/2006 Lees Channel 5 current season avalanche info x

11/23/2006 Weed Herald-Journal general safety/current local conditions x

11/28/2006 Hardesty Channel 4 REI Avalanche Awareness talk x

11/28/2006 Tremper New York Times Article on beacons x

11/28/2006 Tremper Channel 2 Avalanche Conditions x

11/28/2006 Tremper What Do You Do Documentary on avalanche jobs x

11/29/2006 Lees Channel 4 "Roughing It" avalanche safety tips x

1/2/2007 Tremper KPCW Interview on program and funding x

1/4/2007 Tremper Ogden Standard ExaminerFunding x

1/4/2007 Tremper Salt Lake Tribune Funding x

1/4/2007 Tremper Associated Press Funding x

1/5/2007 Lees Channel 13 Avalanche Conditions x

1/5/2007 Staff Channel 13 Avalanche work and Budget x

1/5/2007 Tremper Channel 2 Funding x

1/6/2007 Staff Channel 5 Avalanche work and Budget x

1/6/2007 Tremper Channel 4 Funding x

1/7/2007 Tremper Channel 5 Funding x

1/8/2007 Tremper Channel 13 Funding x

1/20/2007 Tremper Wall Street Journal Info on avalanches x

1/23/2007 Tremper Elite Skiing Newsletter Avalanche Information x

2/1/2007 Weed The Avalanche Review personal experience with cracked slopes x

2/10/2007 Tremper Channel 2 Avalanche Conditions x

2/10/2007 Tremper Salt Lake Tribune Avalanche Conditions x

2/11/2007 Tremper Clear Channel Avalanche Conditions x

2/15/2007 Tremper Channel 5 Avalanche Conditions x

2/15/2007 Tremper KSL Radio Avalanche Conditions x

2/17/2007 Tremper Salt Lake Tribune Avalanche Fatality x

2/18/2007 Tremper Herald-Journal current statewide conditions x

2/20/2007 Kobernik Boston Herald Hells Canyon Fatality x

2/21/2007 Kobernik Channel 2 Gobblers fatality x

2/21/2007 Kobernik Channel 4 Gobblers fatality x

2/21/2007 Kobernik Channel 5 Gobblers fatality x

2/21/2007 Kobernik Channel 13 Gobblers fatality x

2/21/2007 Kobernik SL Tribune Gobblers fatality x

2/21/2007 Weed KVNU (AM talk radio) general safety/current local conditions x

2/22/2007 Kobernik KSL Radio Avalanche Danger x

2/22/2007 Kobernik Channel 5 Avalanche Danger x

2/23/2007 Weed The Valley Channel general safety/current local conditions x

3/17/2007 Weed Herald-Journal general safety/current local conditions x

UAC Media Contacts 2006-07 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

79 

Budget – Good News and Bad News 

The Utah Avalanche Center is the epitome of a successful partnership organization in which most of 

the funding comes from other interested parties outside the Forest Service. In these times of diminishing Forest Service budgets, partnerships have become the only way that many programs can survive. 

The good news is that all parties that benefit from programs pay their fair share. The bad news is that 

any time spent fundraising is time not spent saving lives, and we seem to spend an increasing amount of 

our time on funding issues. 

Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation is by far the largest funding partner, contributing $82,000 

per year. This money supports avalanche forecasting and education in Logan the western Uinta Mountains and on the Manti Skyline—areas primarily used by snowmobilers. 

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center is a private, nonprofit, 501c3 organization which raises 

funds from the private sector. The FUAC raises around $40,000 - $50,000 annually. They donate 

about half that amount directly to the Utah Avalanche Center through an agreement and they spend 

the other half directly on programs to benefit avalanche forecasting and education in Utah. These include the observer program, in which about 20 regular backcountry enthusiasts are paid a nominal 

amount to take time after their outing and send in an observation, computer and safety equipment for 

forecasters, web design and maintenance and on avalanche education and outreach programs. 

Because of increasing costs in times of flat budgets, the UAC was faced with a $30,000 shortfall this 

season, which the FUAC generously made up with their rainy day funds. Therefore, this season they 

donated $45,000 directly to the Forest Service and they spent another $20,000 directly on observers, 

equipment and education. 

Last but not least, both Utah Public Safety and Salt Lake County contribute $25,000 annually. 

This season, we also received a $30,000 Centennial Grant from the Forest Service, which was used for 

outreach programs to people who are not aware of the services of the Utah Avalanche Center. This 

money was spent on web design, the Are You Beeping? signs at ski area boundaries, video PSA’s that 

play before movies in the major theaters and on television and broadcasting the overall danger ratings 

on local television, radio and in newspapers. 

In addition, the National Weather Service provides significant in-kind support. Since 1980, our office 

has been co-located with the NWS Forecast Office near the Salt Lake Airport. They donate office 

space, computer network support, office supplies, weather forecasting services and computer support. 

Many thanks to Larry Dunn, the Meteorologist in Charge of the NWS for his steadfast support and 

also to Randy Weatherly who answers our many computer programming questions and generously 

helps on some programming applications. 

In kind support also comes from the Forest Service District Offices, specifically Kamas Evanston and 

Logan. They donate snowmobiles and field time for avalanche-savvy personnel such as Dave Ream and 

Ted Scroggin, who are essential cogs in the avalanche forecasting machinery. In addition, the Wasatch 

Cache National Forest does not charge overhead for the Utah Avalanche Center so essentially, they 

donate the support staff as in-kind support. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

80 

Cash Funding for northern Utah (Wasatch-Cache and Uinta National Forests) 

Cash Funding for southern and Central Utah (Manti La Sal National Forest) 

Wasatch Cache National Forest $45,000 

Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation $70,000 

Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center $45,000 

Utah Public Safety $25,000 

Salt Lake County $25,000 

Forest Service Centennial Grant $30,000 

 

Total $240,000 

Manti – La Sal National Forest $15,000 

Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation $12,000 

 

Total $28,000 

Funding Sources for Utah

$267,000 total 2006-07

Wasatch-Cache National 

Forest, 45,000

Manti-La Sal National Forest, 

15,000

Utah State Parks and 

Recreation , 82,000

Friends of the Utah 

Avalanche Center, 45,000

Forest Service Centennial 

Grant, 30,000

Utah Department of Public 

Safety, 25,000

Salt Lake County, 25,000
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

81 

Legislative Update 

The good news is that this season, the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center and the Utah Snowmobile Association successfully lobbied the Utah Legislature for $122,000 in one-time funds for next winter. These funds will come through Utah State Parks and Recreation. The bad news is that Utah State 

Parks, decided to cancel the $82,000 annual contribution to the Utah Avalanche Center for next season, which comes from the diminishing snowmobile registration fees. Instead, they would like us to 

apply for a grant from the federally-funded Recreation Trails Program. Unfortunately, since the funds 

are not guaranteed and they also arrive midway through our season, we can not spend them next winter, but we will spend them in the winter of 2008-09. In other words, we will be $80,000 short for 

next winter. Combined with an estimated $40,000 shortfall from increasing costs, we ended up pretty 

much right where we started. 

Regardless, we appreciate the hard work and support by the many people who supported the Legislative funding. Many thanks to John Valentine, the President of the Utah Senate who is also an active 

member of the Utah County Search and Rescue Team, and thereby sees the tragic effects of avalanche 

accidents on a regular basis. Also, thanks to Ralph Becker, House Minority Leader, Senator John 

Stohl, Lobbyists Steve Erickson and Des Barker, who donated their time and the people who testified 

at the committee hearing including Brad Barber the retired Director of Planning and Budget for the 

State of Utah, Nathan Rafferty, President of Ski Utah, Ken Rossom with the Utah Snowmobile Association and April McDonald, the mother of a recent avalanche victim. Also thanks to the Board of the 

Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, especially Jennifer Logan and other members of the Utah Snowmobile Association including Curt Kennedy, Dave Madsen and Doug Page. 

Wasatch Expenditures 2006-07

Salary Cost to Government 

(take home is half this 

amount), $138,717

Telephones, $3,000

Equipment and Supplies, 

$1,000

Travel , $4,000

Printing annual report, $1,000
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

82 

Media Coverage 

Teaching Out-Of-Bounds

By April Darrow Trans World Business 10-31-06 

Most of the 130 U.S. ski areas that utilize Forest Service land offer backcountry access gates. 

Some have an open-boundary policy, allowing guests to cross into out-of-bounds terrain, while 

others’ boundaries are closed or vary according to conditions. Anecdotal evidence indicates that 

more people are accessing the backcountry, many via access gates. In turn, resorts have been 

increasing measures to educate customers about backcountry safety. 

In the last few seasons, avalanche beacon practice areas have been springing up at resorts 

throughout the West. The most widespread are Beacon Basin Transceiver Training Parks, created by transceiver, probe, and shovel maker Backcountry Access. Thirty resorts in eight states 

now offer the free parks, which provide a venue for guests to practice skills by bringing their 

own transceiver to search for pre-buried beacons attached by wires to a control panel. “There’s 

no digging required, so this method is more fun and productive,” says BCA VP Bruce Edgerly. 

The company has even taken it a step further by building beacon-controlled access gates for select ski areas. The gates operate using detector-controlled hinges that only open when a transceiver signal has been detected. Canada’s Sunshine Village utilized the devices last season, and 

other resorts including the backcountry-dominated Silverton Mountain, Colorado are looking 

into them for 2006/07. 

Aside from BCA’s programs, an increasing number of resorts have hosted backcountry education events during the last few winters. Perhaps the most progressive resort program is Mt. 

Baker, Washington’s Mountain Education Center, which educates 300 people a year through 

one-day introductory courses and three-day intensives. The basic courses cost 25 dollars per 

participant and focus on transceiver use and general backcountry info, while the 150-dollar intensives incorporate analyzing snowpack, reading terrain, digging pits, and even simulate a fullon burial. 

Other programs target youth. The Alpine Safety Awareness Program (ASAP) a non-profit out 

of Bellingham, Washington, has educated 10,000 students—mostly middle school and high 

school kids—about backcountry safety and offers optional on-hill training at ski resorts. A fifteen-minute video touting avalanche prevention called Know Before You Go, created by Craig 

Gordon of the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center in 2005, targets twelve to 25 year olds 

and has reached 12,000 people. More than twenty U.S. ski areas are currently using it to help 

train visitors. 

Some resorts are pairing up with RECCO, the Swedish company that manufactures searchable 

reflectors. It reports that more than 120 U.S. ski areas and 100 outdoor brands are now using the 

avalanche-ready system. The brand is working to extend that outreach this season through retailers, where RECCO distributed more than 250,000 copies of its White Book, which outlines 

basic components of backcountry know-how. The book will be inserted into various snowboard 

publications this winter. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

83 

Even if brands like RECCO are reaching out to the public, resorts will still represent much of 

the frontline for backcountry safety and rescue training and techniques. While most focus will 

remain on education programs and public awareness, some states are choosing to up the rescue 

potential of their areas in case avalanche tragedy should strike. Utah’s Wasatch Backcountry 

Rescue, a volunteer organization whose membership includes eight Utah resorts, is utilizing 

state-of-the-art long-range helicopter-mounted receivers to enhance its rescue techniques. In a 

state plagued by snow slides, the use of transceivers that cover a broader search area can help 

once the preventative training and education has failed. 

Avalanche Danger Already Abound

Nov 02, 2006 by Julie Rose KCPW News 

There's only a foot or two of snow on Utah's mountains right now, but diehards are already skiing the slopes of unopened resorts. That has prompted the Utah Avalanche Center to issue this 

warning: 

"Resorts are not knocking down avalanches with explosives before the people arrive each day," 

says Bruce Tremper, director of the Utah Avalanche Center. "So it's just like the backcountry. 

And it's hard for skiiers to make that mental shift. They get on their favorite slope and suddenly 

are triggering an avalanche right after a storm." 

The Utah Avalanche Center has already begun posting avalanche reports daily on its website - 

www.utahavalanchecenter.com. He says the fluctuating temperatures in the Fall turn early snow 

into sugar-like crystals that make avalanches likely: 

"Kind of like a bunch of potato chips. Then when the next storm comes in it's like putting a 

brick on those potato chips and it slides very easily," says Tremper. "So fall is a very dangerous 

time of year for avalanches." 

Tremper advises early snow enthusiasts to take avalanche beacons, a shovel and a partner to the 

slopes. Check the latest avalanche advisories at www.utahavalanchecenter.com. 

Signs will beckon backcountry 

skiers to turn on beacons 

By Brett Prettyman The Salt Lake Tribune

 11/09/06 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

84 

Are you beeping? It is not a question a polite 

 stranger might ask if you failed to answer 

your mobile phone. It is an inquiry from the 

Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) 

 that might save your life, and it's a message 

 coming to ski resorts along the Wasatch Front 

this winter. 

 The new campaign involves eight signs equipped with avalanche beacon detectors placed in 

key locations at the Town of Alta, Snowbird, Snowbasin, Brighton and The Canyons. The signs 

are equipped with built-in Ortovox avalanche beacons that emit a loud beep when other beacons 

are within range. Beacons are how people buried in avalanches are most easily located. 

 Officials hope that in addition to serving as a reminder to those who are properly equipped 

with beacons to turn them on or replace the batteries, the signs will send a clear message to all 

skiers and snowboarders about to leave the safety of the controlled environment within the resort. 

 Some Utah ski resorts allow customers to leave resort boundaries and access adjoining public 

land. That was the case in January 2005 when Idaho snowboarder Shane Maixner rode the 

Ninety Nine 90 Express lift at The Canyons and then crossed through a gate warning him of the 

dangers before dropping into Dutch Draw and being buried in a massive avalanche that took his 

life. 

 "What people need to realize is that crossing over the boundary to the other side of the rope is 

the difference between night and day when it comes to snowpack," said Craig Gordon, a forecaster with the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center. "There is no avalanche control work 

and no ski patrol on the other side of that rope." 

 That means all backcountry users in Utah mountains in the winter - skiers, snowboarders, 

snowshoers and snowmobilers - should check with the center for the latest snow conditions, 

study the area upon arrival and carry a beacon, probe and shovel. 

 "People who are not familiar with the dangers of avalanches get lured into the backcountry 

areas that surround ski areas because they see people skiing powder while they are on groomed 

runs," Gordon said. "We want them to reconsider that decision when they see the signs." 

 The Are You Beeping? campaign was funded by the Forest Service with a donation from the 

family of Atilio Giorgio Cremaschi Yavar, a snowboard instructor from Chile who was living in 

Utah when he died in an avalanche in the backcountry near Brighton Ski Resort in April 2006. 

 The Town of Alta, Snowbird and Snowbasin will each get one of the signs, The Canyons will 

get two and Brighton will receive three. Partners in the campaign include the resorts, UAC, Ortovox and Wasatch Backcountry Rescue. 

 "This is another of the innovative steps the Utah Avalanche Center has taken to educate people about the dangers of avalanches and how to go safely into the backcountry," said Randy 

Doyle, area manager of Brighton Ski Resort. "We will be putting the signs at three of our most 

popular exit points." 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

85 

 Meanwhile, the popular Know Before You Go campaign, in its third year, has already been 

presented to 31,000 junior high and high school students in Utah. Gordon points out that there 

has not been a teenager lost in an avalanche since the Know Before You Go program started 

two years ago. 

 "We have definitely seen and increased knowledge of avalanche danger since the [Know Before You Go] program started," Doyle said. "Craig has had an impact by visiting all those 

schools." The center is now working with the State Board of Education to form avalanche 

education in the eighth-grade curriculum. 

 "We plan to increase our audience base for the Know Before You Go program through 

2007-08 and hope to have avalanche education in the curriculum by the 2008-09 season," 

Gordon said. "If we can make it happen, it will be revolutionary. We would be the first state to 

implement avalanche awareness in school." 

 The center has also produced two new public service announcements that will be shown before films at select movie theaters, created a new logo, released a new toll-free forecast phone 

number - 888-999-4019 - and is planning on making podcasts of the daily report available in the 

near future. 

 And don't forget it is already avalanche season. 

 "People generally think there is not enough snow to avalanche early in the season, but they 

happen," Gordon said. 

 --- 

 * BRETT PRETTYMAN can be contacted at brettp@sltrib.com or 801-257-8902. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com. 

 

 Avalanche program 

 The Utah Avalanche Center provides a daily snow-conditions report on its Web site, http://

www.utahavalanchecenter.org, by phone 888-999-4019, and by e-mail. The center also has 

plans to introduce a podcast in the near future. 

 Watch the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center's new public service announcement at 

http://www.sltrib.com/outdoors. 

Early-season avalanche buries skier 

Friends were quick to the rescue thanks to tracking device 

NBC News and news services Nov 15, 2006 

SALT LAKE CITY - An early-season avalanche on Tuesday swept away four experienced 

backcountry skiers, burying one who was quickly found only because he was wearing a tracking device. "I tried wiggling my face to try and get an air pocket" to breathe, Steven Lloyd recalled. He then started to slow his breathing and passed out. 

His friends were able to find him since he and they were wearing tracking beacons. After 15 

minutes of digging, they found him unconscious. On being pulled out, Lloyd quickly began 

breathing on his own. 

The skiers were in the upper Silver Fork basin near Solitude ski resort, about 18 miles east of 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

86 

Salt Lake City. They were skiing in more than a foot of fresh snow at an elevation of about 

10,000 feet when an avalanche broke loose off a jagged ridge that separates Big and Little Cottonwood canyons. 

Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Paul Jaroscak said the skiers were experienced 

and had the necessary equipment to call for help. 

"Two people were flown out by helicopter, and of those two, one of them was the one who was 

buried. ... The other two people skied out with rescuers who skied out to meet them," Jaroscak 

said. 

None of the skiers experienced any injuries, he said. The U.S. Forest Service agency said the 

fresh snow and high winds combined Tuesday to create dangerous conditions. 

"There was widespread avalanche activity," said Bruce Tremper, director of the Utah Avalanche Center. "The ski resorts, when they did avalanche control, got widespread slides. That's 

what our staff found in the backcountry." 

Tremper said the new snow was sliding easily off a snowpack more than 2 feet deep. 

More Snow the Key to Lower Avalanche Risk 

November 15th, 2006 @ 2:39pm Dina Freedman Reporting KSL 

Yesterday one Utah man was lucky to survive an avalanche in Silver Fork Canyon. KSL Meteorologist Dina Freedman tells why that avalanche potential is so high right now. 

Since October the highest elevations along the Wasatch front have received around four to five 

feet of snow, but the bigger problem was the snow that fell in September. Our peaks in Northern Utah have been seeing lots of snow and that doesn't make it any easier for people who want 

to ski in the backcountry. Evelyn Lees, Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center: "We've put a 

very dense layer of snow on top of weak, potato chip like snow. And in the case of yesterday, 

the added weight of some skiers triggered the slide." 

Because we had snow early in the season in September that just sat up there and didn't melt, it 

has now created an unstable layer for the new snow that just arrived this week. 

Evelyn Lees, Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center: "What we're dealing with right now this 

year is what we call a persistent weak layer, a persistent weak layer is that shivery weak facetted snow and that does not strengthen within a day or two, any slope that did not slide yesterday 

still has the potential to slide with the weight of a skier today." 

Even knowing that the avalanche danger is considerable and having the right safety gear with 

you, doesn't mean you're in the clear, the risk is still there. 

Evelyn Lees, Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center: "The bonds between the crystals break, 

and as they start, and first it's a couple of bonds, then it spreads and numerous bonds break, and 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

87 

then the slab. And then the weak snow layer can no longer support the slab of snow sitting on 

top of it and it starts to slide downhill if you're on a steep slope." 

Yesterday not only did we have 10 to 15 inches of dense snow, but we had strong winds. Those 

winds can move the snow from one area to another and add more weight to it, making it even 

more prone to collapse. 

 

The avalanche danger is not expected to change in the next 24 hours and remains at considerable. To lower that danger we just need more storms. 

Evelyn Lees, Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center: "What we'd like to see is a steady stream 

of storms like a couple of storms a week, because then we build up a deep snow pack and we 

don't have time for the weak layers to develop. If it stops snowing now for a couple of weeks, 

we're going to develop even more weak layers." 

Avalanche forecasts are issued every day and you can get them online or by using the phone. 

The new number for the Utah Avalanche Center is 1-888-999-4019. 

Signs Increase Avalanche Awareness 

November 28th, 2006 @ 5:56pm Jed Boal Reporting KSL 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

88 

Video 

View This Story

Heavy snow and wind set the stage for high avalanche danger today. But, after an early avalanche warning, the conditions reported from the mountains were not as bad as forecasters 

originally feared. 

Bruce Tremper of the Utah Avalanche Center: "So we cancelled the avalanche warning for today, but we'll have to monitor it because we have more snow coming in for the rest of the day. 

There are probably not a lot of natural avalanches coming down from above that will catch you, 

but you could trigger the avalanche yourself. Considerable danger is still quite dangerous, but 

not quite as dangerous as we thought." 

The snow is light density, and as long as winds don't pick up, conditions should not deteriorate. 

So the danger is considerable, rather than high. 

Anyone venturing away from avalanche controlled areas should know what that means. 

It's hard to zero in on a specific number of people who head out into the backcountry to ski or 

snowmobile, because you don't have to buy a pass. But, more people are using the resources at 

the Utah Avalanche Center. 

Bruce Tremper/Utah Avalanche Center: "Our website has a huge number of new products, and 

a new look and feel that we're coming out with in the next month, so it's pretty exciting." 

Also new this year, the Forest Service and ski resorts have put up beeping signs at backcountry 

exit points. The signs give skiers a gear check, and they beep and blink when they pick up signals from avalanche beacons, which every back-country skier should carry. 

The Avalanche Center presents regular talks and clinics on avalanche awareness. There's one 

tonight at seven o'clock at R.E.I. 

For more information and current conditions, check out the Utah Avalanche Center website. 

http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

89 

New Avalanche Receiver 

Manuel Genswein, the Swiss developer of the new Long Range Helicopter-based Receiver used 

to track and locate buried avalanche victims, explains the workings of the receiver during a 

demonstration at Wasatch Powderbird's heli-pad in Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, Thursday, 

Dec. 7, 2006. The new heli-based triple antenna system, which is a first in the United States, 

has a range of 150 meters and can be used to quickly search an avalanche site for victims. (Jim 

Urquhart/The Salt Lake) 

New tech to save slide victims 

Deseret Morning News, December 08, 2006 By Wendy Leonard 

Unlike a human body, the targets buried Thursday on Mount Superior weren't in danger of suffocating under several feet of snow. 

Members of the Wasatch Backcountry Rescue team demonstrate use of helicopter-mounted long-range receivers 

for locating avalanche victims. Bob Plumb, Deseret Morning New
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

90 

Rescuers, however, worked just as fast to recover the plastic transmitters as they would to recover an avalanche victim — but this time, they had help from the air. 

Long-range receivers mounted to helicopters are projected to make it safer for rescuers working 

on avalanche recoveries. The helicopters will join the efforts of search and rescue teams in the 

canyons, perhaps increasing the odds of saving avalanche victims. 

Wasatch Backcountry has purchased two of the receivers for nearly $4,000 and turned them 

over to Wasatch Powderbird Guides, a Snowbird-based helicopter skiing outfit under contract 

with Salt Lake County to assist in search-and-rescue missions. 

AirMed, a service of the University of Utah Medical Center that assists in searches in the Wasatch Mountains, also bought two of the devices for its helicopters. 

Dean Cardinale, director of snow safety at Snowbird Resort, said a victim has limited time, under 10 minutes, before lack of oxygen causes brain damage, and will likely die of suffocation 

within 15 minutes. However, rare circumstances can allow for more time until death. Safety of 

rescuers is also a risk in such unstable conditions. 

"There's always a chance another avalanche could cover the debris field," said Rusty Dassing, a 

senior helicopter guide. He said with each additional person added to the already-weakened 

slope, the threat of additional avalanches increases. 

"This capability from the air is safer for rescuers," he said. 

With the help of Wasatch Backcountry Rescue, a local search and rescue outfit, representatives 

demonstrated the new helicopter-mounted high-range receivers Thursday in Little Cottonwood 

Canyon. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

91 

Cardinale said the transmitter system is the first of its kind to be used in the United States, although the transmitters have been widely used for searches in European high country. 

Manuel Genswein from Sweden shows the new 

 helicopter-mounted long-range receiver at the 

start of a demonstration of the new technology 

in Little Cottonwood Canyon. The receiver picks 

up signals from beacons carried by recreationists 

 to help locate avalanche victims.

Bob Plumb, Deseret Morning News

The device hangs by a strap from a helicopter and can pick up a signal from up to 196 yards — 

triple the range of regular avalanche beacons worn by rescuers. The device is useless unless victims are emitting a signal from their own beacon, worn around their bodies. 

Dassing said anyone who heads into the hills during the winter for recreation should have a beacon and switch it on even during the drive up the canyon. 

 Beacons run about $200 each but are very important, as they emit a signal to receivers worn by 

ski patrollers and rescuers. And now, the receivers will also be carried by helicopters involved 

in the search after an avalanche.
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

92 

Avalanches are the only natural hazard commonly triggered by the victim, making the Forest 

Service Utah Avalanche Center the quintessential consumer protection agency. Its updates on 

backcountry conditions steer thousands of adventurers away from danger each day. In midDecember, center director Bruce Tremper issued a particularly alarming forecast: The operation 

is $30,000 over budget, and he might have to trim staff from an already short-handed office. 

The warning and a plea for donations was e-mailed to about 2,000 people who receive regular 

avalanche advisories, including tour guides, outfitters and other business owners who rely on - 

and place demands on - the center's staff. 

 Businesses and other backcountry enthusiasts responded to the call, and, along with an infusion from Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, the support should cover the existing shortfall, 

Tremper said. 

 But there are rumors the federal government might reduce its contributions, he added, and the 

crunch will continue to worsen as more people head into the backcountry. So Tremper and supporters are lobbying legislators to double funding for the avalanche center to about $500,000 

rather than just plug the existing budget hole. 

 "In old days, we had ski swaps to raise money. But it's not a bake sale organization anymore," Tremper said. "We need to fund it." 

 The forecast center not only provides field reports on the backcountry, it acts as a clearinghouse for information phoned and faxed in by winter resorts, ski patrols and businesses such as 

Wasatch Powderbird Guides, whose permit requires it to provide morning updates about its 

tours to the center. 

 It's a symbiotic relationship that is critical to the winter tourism industry, notes Powderbird 

guide Mike Olson. 

 "A lot of our customers are the biggest backers of the forecast center, and we're doing our 

best to keep those guys alive. But we can't provide all the funding," said Olson. "The State of 

Utah must realize skiing is a huge money maker, and the forecasting center plays a big role in 

that." 

 The center gets $107,000, the bulk of its annual budget, from the state. The next-largest contributor is Friends of the Avalanche Center, which raises about $50,000 annually. The U.S. Forest Service kicks in $44,000 and Salt Lake County contributes $25,000. 

 Nearly all of it pays the salaries of the six forecasters who work 60 hours to 90 hours a week. 

Colorado, by contrast, has about 15. 

 Backcountry skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and snowshoeing boost Utah's reputation 

as a winter wonderland. But the traffic increase also means forecasters must cover more terrain. 

 "We just can't keep up," Tremper said. "When I started this job 20 years ago, we only had to 

worry about a handful of telemark skiers in knickers eating granola. Those days are long gone. 

The backcountry is being loved to death." 

Avalanche center finds funding a slippery slope 

Understaffed agency is struggling to keep outdoor enthusiasts in the know 

By Linda Fantin The Salt Lake Tribune Jan 04, 2007 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

93 

 Since 1998, 224 people have died in U.S. avalanches, double that of the 1980s, according to 

the Forest Service National Avalanche Center. In Utah, where four people die each year in avalanches, the state used to rank just behind Colorado with the most avalanche fatalities. But 

snowmobiler deaths have pushed Montana and Alaska up the list in recent years, a reflection of 

the lighter, longer, more powerful machines on the market. 

 "They can take you to the top of a 12,000-foot peak pretty easily," notes Adam Pulley, owner 

of Bear River Lodge, about 50 miles northeast of Kamas. Pulley has 40 snowmobiles in his 

rental lot and sees the forecast center as a valuable public service. 

 "Right now they are spread very thin," Pulley said. "It would be nice to see more funding so 

they can do an adequate job." 

 Tremper has the support of Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, but needs to find a House member 

to champion an appropriations request. 

 Valentine, an avid backcountry skier and a search-and-rescue worker with 26 years of experience, said the center has been "limping along" for too long. 

 "I would like to see them expand their educational mission [to reach] those kids I'm pulling 

out of the snowpack and the young adults who believe they are invincible," Valentine said. 

 Ruth Drapkin of Park City started skiing Utah's remote slopes in the 1970s, and she has been 

a fan of the forecast center since it was a dial-up service. She, too, praised the center's educational outreach. 

 "It's a science and they make it easy for a layman to understand what's going on," she said. 

"And understanding the snowpack is paramount to understanding the dangers that are out 

there." 

 lfantin@sltrib.com

Inside the mind of a potential avalanche victim 

By Brett Prettyman 

The Salt Lake Tribune 1/05/2006 02:30 PM 

Before he started writing avalanche research papers with lofty titles, Ian McCammon was a mechanical engineer working on robotics and machines. 

 "Now he is trying to turn people into machines," jokes Bruce Tremper, director of the USDA 

Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center and a friend of McCammon. 

 But helping backcountry travelers act more like machines and less like human beings may be 

the only way to avoid the inherent and obvious dangers of avalanches. The human mind has a 

tendency to make too many shortcuts. 

 In papers with titles such as "Heuristic Traps in Recreation Avalanche Accidents: Evidence 

and Implications" (published in The Avalanche Review in December 2003 and February 2004), 

McCammon has delved into the psyche of backcountry winter travelers. After losing a close 

friend he knew to be well-trained in avalanche education, he wondered why seemingly knowledgeable people get caught in snowslides. 

 "There are patterns embedded in our humanity. To understand them could help us get a better 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

94 

understanding of ourselves and what we do in the face of certain events," said McCammon, a 

Salt Lake City resident who travels the nation sharing his research with avalanche experts. 

 Research on more than 700 accidents between 1972 and 2003 led McCammon to identify several "heuristic" traps, or situational cues, that can lead to poor decision-making by rookies and 

experts, even in the face of unequivocal avalanche indicators. 

 McCammon is not the first to explore the human factor in avalanche tragedies, but he has approached the subject in a different way. 

 "It's a paradigm shift in the way we think about avalanche education. Every time Ian gives a 

talk I just go 'wow.' We have . . . [been] preaching the avalanche gospel for years, but the accidents just keep going up and up. . . . Ian's research shows there is more to safe travel in the 

backcountry than just being able to recognize avalanche danger; it is being able to recognize 

when you are ignoring that danger," Tremper said. 

 McCammon found the advertising world a fertile field for ideas about the effect of human 

factors on decision-making. 

 "They want people to make a decision to buy their product and they use the same mental traps 

we fall into in the face of avalanche danger to make those products more desirable even when 

the product is not exactly what the person might want," McCammon said. "This kind of advertising has been around for thousands of years." 

 Which makes it all the more difficult to recognize. Like consumers falling for products they 

don't need, potential avalanche victims are unaware they are making life-and-death decisions 

based on subconscious factors. 

 See AVALANCHE, E2 

 McCammon and Tremper, both seasoned backcountry winter travelers, admit they still fall 

prey to these errors in thinking even though they talk to people about ways to avoid them. The 

mental "traps" identified by McCammon in his research on avalanche victims include: 

 Familiarity: Cameron Carpenter felt safe, at least initially, the day his best friend died in an 

avalanche near Guardsman Pass in Big Cottonwood Canyon in 1986. 

 "It was one of our favorite places to go. We had been in that same spot a lot, even during that 

winter," said Carpenter, who lost his friend Brad Lindsey when they were both caught in the 

avalanche. "It wasn't until we were on the mountain for the second time that we realized we 

could be in trouble." 

 McCammon explains the familiarity heuristic this way: Rather than figuring out what behavior is appropriate each time we visit the backcountry, we tend to rely on past actions in that 

same place. Familiarity can help with decision-making, but it becomes dangerous when the avalanche hazard increases. McCammon found that 71 percent of the accidents he researched happened on slopes known to victims. When people travel in familiar places, they appear willing to 

expose themselves to almost four times as much avalanche hazard than when they travel in unfamiliar places. Familiarity also apparently negated the advantage of avalanche education. 

 Acceptance: The theory here is that people tend to engage in activities they think will earn 

them notice and/or respect. Call it the "bragging rights" or "testosterone" heuristic. 

 "Men, in the presence of women, will behave more competitively, aggressively or engage in 

riskier behaviors than when women are absent," McCammon writes. 

 Tremper says he understands the acceptance heuristic all too well. 

 "When I'm by myself I'm very cautious. Add a trusted partner and I'm willing to go places I 

probably wouldn't before. Add a group of six people and a couple of attractive females and I'll 

do just about anything," Tremper said. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

95 

 McCammon reports that groups that include women appear to expose themselves to greater 

risk than those without, but not because women take more risks. Of the 1,355 individuals present in accidents McCammon studied, only 10 percent were female. And only 9.1 percent of the 

avalanche victims were women. 

 Commitment: When he first heard about the commitment heuristic, Carpenter said it probably did not play into his accident, but the more he talked about that fatal day, the more he realized how it had affected his and Lindsey's decisions. 

 "It was snowing hard. One of the other guys got cold and went back to the car. We were 

pretty committed to making another run," Carpenter said. "We made an effort to get up the canyon and weren't going to sit in the car." 

 McCammon found that people who were highly committed to enter the avalanche path that 

eventually caught them took more risks than those less committed to a certain goal or objective. 

 

 Expert halo: People appointed as "backcountry experts" by the group tend to expose the party 

to greater avalanche hazards than groups that make decisions based on consensus. McCammon 

found that leaders with the expert halo appear to make riskier decisions as the size of the group 

increases. 

 Individuals appointed as experts may suffer from a false sense of confidence in their avalanche awareness skills even if they are actually quite knowledgeable in the backcountry. 

 

 Tracks/scarcity: This may be among the most dangerous heuristics because the desire to find 

fresh powder increases along with the avalanche hazard. New and deep snow has a tendency to 

make many people ignore obvious dangers. The thrill of being the first to make tracks on fresh 

snow tempts many backcountry travelers into terrain they would otherwise avoid. 

 

 Social facilitation: McCammon found that groups who met other people before their accident 

exposed themselves to more hazards than those who had not encountered other groups that day. 

Parties of three and four people appeared more prone to this phenomenon than groups of other 

sizes. McCammon theorizes that people who are good at something believe they will do it better with an audience. But unskilled people believe they will perform even more poorly. The trap 

is that people with some avalanche avoidance skills take more risks. 

 The question for avalanche educators now is how to incorporate McCammon's research into 

effective prevention. 

 "The Europeans have had some great success with rule-based decision-making. There are certain rules they follow in certain situations," Tremper said. "That makes a lot of sense, but it still 

does not address the ability by people to justify certain risks, many times without even realizing 

they are doing it." 

 bpretty@sltrib.com Flawed decision-making has been the folly of even the most experienced backcountry traveler 

 Mind traps 

 Six decision-making traps in recreational avalanche accidents identified by Utah researcher 

Ian McCammon: 

 Familiarity - If the geography is familiar, we tend to do things we did before, despite changing risk factors. 

 Acceptance - A tendency to engage in activities that will get us liked or accepted. 

 Commitment - Focusing on an objective or goal to the exclusion of important hazard informa-
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

96 

tion. 

 Expert Halo - Placing decision-making and responsibility on a person perceived to be the 

most knowledgeable in the group even if the person isn't a true expert. 

 Tracks/Scarcity - If fresh, untracked powder is scarce, it is perceived to have more value and 

be worth the potential risk. 

 Social Facilitation - People who believe they have good avalanche skills are more likely to 

take risks in the presence of other people; people who feel less skilled take fewer risks. 

 Source: "Heuristic Traps in Recreational Avalanche Accidents: Evidence and Implications" 

by Ian McCammon 

Snowmobilers risk avalanche dangers

DenverPost.com 1/07/2006 01:51 AM 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

97 

Forecast of snow atop slick crust means mountains of danger to come 

By Mike Gorrell The Salt Lake Tribune 02-05-2007 

When it finally snows a lot - and surely it will - backcountry conditions are ripe for avalanche 

activity even more pronounced than Saturday's slides, one of which severely injured two snowshoers ascending Pfeifferhorn. 

 "We've been waiting and waiting for a weather event to stir things up and it finally arrived," 

The public can empathize with the emotional shock felt by a snowmobile group that lost 

two members to an avalanche last weekend near Cameron Pass, but the group shouldn't 

have taken their machines inside a wilderness area. 

The fact that the U.S. Forest Service reportedly hadn't erected obvious signs at the trailhead wasn't a solid excuse - one of the essential items in any outdoor survival kit is a 

map, and a good map should have shown the wilderness boundary. That said, the snowmobilers would have been in danger even if the slope they were on had been outside the 

Neota Wilderness. 

Over New Year's, strong winds and heavy snow created considerable-to-high avalanche 

hazard even below timberline nearly everywhere in our mountains, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center reported at the time. Thus, slopes that usually don't have snow 

slides were risky places to be on that particular day. High marking (riding a snowmobile 

up a slope as far as it can go without stalling) just wasn't safe given the conditions. 

For decades, Colorado carried the unwanted reputation of having more avalanche deaths 

than any other state in the country. (Utah last year claimed that notoriety.) But in recent years, the average number of annual Colorado avalanche deaths has fallen, despite a 

dramatic rise in the number of people taking part in winter outdoor recreation. 

In the same period, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, part of the state's Geological Survey, undertook concerted efforts to teach the public to avoid hazards. The legislature helped by allocating a small portion of the state's severance tax to the avalanche 

center, enabling experts to better analyze conditions, make the information publicly 

available and, most important, teach the public to recognize and avoid danger. 

But the fatal slide near Cameron Pass puts Colorado nearer to a worrisome national 

trend: More snowmobilers are dying in snow slides. In fact, snowmobilers account for 

more U.S. avalanche deaths (44 percent) than backcountry skiers (24 percent), snowboarders (14 percent) and mountain climbers (5 percent) combined. No snowmobilers 

died in Colorado avalanches last year, but account for two of the four deaths so far this 

winter. Clearly, clubs, guide services and retailers need to better educate members and 

clients. 

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center's classes are free and held at numerous locations statewide. The center's Web page is geosurvey.state.co.us/avalanche. The metroarea number for its daily forecasts is 303-275-5360. 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

98 

Utah Avalanche Center forecaster Drew Hardesty observed Sunday. "With a very weak snowpack structure, all it took was a few inches of snow late in the week and strong winds to produce widespread avalanching." 

 The slide that took out snowshoers Joe Bullough and Brian Dutton was only 3 to 6 inches 

deep, but that was sufficient to sweep them 150 feet over a cliff band and dump them onto a 

snow field below. 

 Bullough remained in extremely critical condition Sunday at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City 

while Dutton was serious but stable, said hospital spokesman Jess Gomez. 

 The two Salt Lake City men, both 42, unleashed the slide as they came within a couple of 

hundred feet of reaching the 11,326-foot summit of Pfeifferhorn, a jagged peak along the ridge 

separating Little Cottonwood and American Fork canyons. 

 In Hardesty's preliminary accident report, he said a "hard wind slab" broke loose on the 

ridge's steep southeast flank. This slab, weighted down with wind-blown snow, likely was on 

top of a layer that had become slippery during January's dry spell, when the snow surface repeatedly warmed up during the day and froze at night. 

 That "melt-freeze crust" can be found all around the Wasatch Mountains after a January in 

which hardly any snow fell but temperatures often fluctuated from below to above freezing. 

And that raises concerns about storms eventually piling a couple of feet of new snow on top of 

that crust, which will not be able to sustain the added weight, triggering widespread slides. 

"Nothing like a little wind to wreak havoc with things," Hardesty added, noting that sustained 

winds Friday night and Saturday of up to 50 mph, gusting to 70, created unstable wind drifts 

susceptible to sliding when another force, such as human movement, was mixed into the equation. 

 Case in point: The fourth person in a party skiing Saturday on the northeast-facing side of 

Scott Peak, near Park City, set in motion a hard slab 3 feet deep and 65 feet wide that buried 

one of the skiers up to his chest. 

 "Another skier on the north side of Timpanogos remotely triggered three avalanches," 

Hardesty said. "I received numerous reports of human-triggered slides in the backcountry 

[Saturday] on a variety of aspects and elevations." 

 Rated Sunday as "moderate" to "considerable," the threat of backcountry avalanches is likely 

to diminish today and Tuesday, but could pick up thereafter. The National Weather Service is 

predicting the central Wasatch Mountains will get a shot of snow Wednesday evening, with the 

likelihood of additional snow increasing into next weekend. 

 mikeg@sltrib.com 

 

Related Avalanche stories 

• Feb 4: 

• Renowned avalanche researcher dies 

• Avalanche strands pair, injuring one 

• Feb 3: 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

99 

• Two skiers hit by avalanche high in Little Cottonwood Canyon; rescue delayed by high winds

 

 The USDA Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Web site at: 

http://www.avalanche .org/~uac/ contains a wealth of information about avalanches. Here are 

some tips culled from that site: 

 Backcountry travel tips 

 

 * Venture onto slopes one at a time, leaving someone in a safe spot to do the rescue. Split 

large groups and stay in visual and voice contact. 

 * Plan an escape route. What will you do if you trigger an avalanche? 

 

 * Use slope cuts. Keep up your speed and cut across the starting zone, so that if you do trigger an avalanche, momentum can carry you off the moving slab into safer terrain. 

 * Watch for cornices and give them a wide berth. Never walk to the edge of a drop-off without first checking it out. 

 * Look for alternatives: Follow ridges, thick trees and slopes with safer consequences. You 

can almost always go back the way you came. 

 * If there's no other choice, go underground. You can almost always weather a bad storm or 

bad avalanche conditions by digging a snow cave in a protected area. You may be uncomfortable, but you will be alive. 

 

The Pfeifferhorn slide was triggered near the summit, injuring and stranding two backcountry snowshoers Saturday. (Courtesy of Utah Avalanche Center ) 

• «

• 1

• »

 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

100 

Coping with an avalanche 

 

 * If you trigger an avalanche, try to get off the slab. If you are on skis or a snowboard, try 

heading straight downhill to build speed, then angle off to the side of the moving slab. If you're 

close enough to the crown, you can try running uphill to get off the slab, or running off to the 

side. If you're ascending when the avalanche breaks, there's not much you can do. 

 * If you're on a snowmobile you have the advantage of power. Grab some throttle and if 

you're headed uphill, continue uphill. If you're headed across the slope, continue to the side to 

safe snow. If you're headed downhill, your only hope is to try to outrun the avalanche. Remember that large avalanches travel 60 to 80 mph and are difficult to outrun. 

 * If you can't escape the slab, try grabbing a tree. But do it fast; avalanches quickly pick up 

speed. 

 * If you can't escape the slab or grab a tree, swim hard. A human body is about three times 

more dense than avalanche debris and tends to sink unless it's swimming hard. 

 * As the avalanche finally slows and just before it comes to rest, try to clear an air space in 

front of your mouth. This helps delay the buildup of carbon dioxide, which allows you to live 

longer under the snow. 

 * Push a hand upward. Visual clues allow your friends to find you faster. You may not know 

which way is up, but take your best guess. 

 * After the avalanche comes to a stop, the debris will instantly set up like concrete. Unless 

you are very near the surface or have a hand sticking up out of the snow, it's almost impossible 

to dig yourself out of an avalanche. 

Weekend deadly for snow fans 

After four die in avalanches, forecasters warn those playing in the backcountry 

By Jeremiah Stettler The Salt Lake Tribune 02-19-2007 

When two snowshoers unleashed an avalanche early this month near Pfeifferhorn that swept 

them over a cliff edge and into the hospital, avalanche watchers warned that more trouble was 

sure to come. 

 And it did . . . more brutal than before and claiming the lives of three people in Utah and a 

Utahn snowmobiling in Idaho. A cascade of avalanche-related deaths hit Utah on Saturday as 

snowmobilers and skiers traveled into the backcountry for a long Presidents Day weekend. 

Among them was a 16-year-old, whose snowmobile was caught in a 300-foot-wide slide that 

buried him and his machine. 

On Sunday, a 17-year-old skier also died in an avalanche. 

 Craig Gordon, a forecaster for the U.S. Forest Service's Utah Avalanche Center, warned that 

more avalanches could follow as snow settles into the mountains this week. 

 "We're not out of the woods yet," he said. 

 The trouble lies beneath the fresh powder expected in the mountains today. 

 Dry January conditions have created a weak, sugary foundation that could collapse if the 

snow on top becomes too heavy. 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

101 

 When it does - whether by snowstorm, wind or a backcountry sportsman - the top slab cracks 

like glass and slides down the mountainside. That's what happened Saturday as Zachary 

Holmes, a Farr West teen, joined his cousins for a snowmobile outing about 14 miles southeast 

of Heber City in Wasatch County. The group triggered a slide as wide as a football field that 

traveled about 200 vertical feet and piled debris up to 10 feet deep. 

 The Tower Mountain region was ripe for an avalanche. Snowstorms had dropped 18 to 30 

inches of powder in the mountains since the previous weekend and northwesterly winds heaped 

the snow even higher, Gordon said. 

 

 The avalanche buried Holmes - who was wearing a beacon and a helmet - beneath 3 feet of 

snow with the snowmobile on top of him. 

 His companions dug him out and administered CPR, but the teen later died at University 

Hospital in Salt Lake City. Another man died in Sevier County while climbing Signal Peak on a 

snowmobile. The 44-year-old Richfield man was caught in a slide that buried him in about 8 

feet of snow. According to search and rescue teams, the avalanche had tumbled about 150 vertical feet in an 80-foot swath. 

 The Sevier County Sheriff's Office had not released the man's name late Sunday. A police 

dispatcher said authorities had not yet notified the family. 

 

 An avalanche struck an Ogden snowmobiler, whose party of four was riding near Palisades 

Peak in southeastern Idaho. Nicholas Steinmann, 26, was buried beneath 8 feet of snow in a 

slide that partially buried two of his colleagues. 

 His fellow snowmobilers probed the area with tree branches. With the help of a search and 

rescue team, they found Steinmann and administered CPR, but Steinmann died. 

 And another avalanche in Weber County, this one in the backcountry of the Snowbasin ski 

resort, claimed the life of a 17-year-old Massachusetts boy who was skiing with his father and 

brother Sunday. Witnesses told police the boy triggered the avalanche around 2 p.m. His body 

was pulled from under 6 feet of snow about two hours later, said the Weber County Sheriff's 

Office. 

 Gordon hopes the weekend's tragedies will serve as a wake-up call for backcountry enthusiasts who may feel a little too safe in the mountain snow. 

 ''Is it tricky out there? You bet it is,"" he wrote in a Sunday avalanche advisory. ""There are 

plenty of steep slopes you can ride without incident, giving you a false sense of snow stability 

[and] luring you deeper into the avalanche dragon's den.'' 

 

 He urged snowshoers, skiers and snowmobilers to check avalanche advisories daily at 

www.avalanche.org/~uac and to watch for clues to instability - such as naturally caused avalanches. The National Weather Service expects more snow today. The mountains could receive 

6 to 10 inches by midday with larger accumulations of 8 to 12 inches in Big and Little Cottonwood canyons. 

 While Gordon could not say for sure whether the snow would trigger a new batch of avalanches, he said people ''need to be on their toes.'' 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

102 

 jstettler@sltrib.com 

 

 

Avalanche safety tips 

 The USDA Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Web site at www.avalanche.org/~uac/

offers these tips: 

 * Venture onto slopes one at a time, leaving someone in a safe spot. Split large groups and 

stay in visual and voice contact. 

 * Plan an escape route. What will you do if you trigger a slide? 

 * Use slope cuts. Keep up your speed and cut across the starting zone, so that if you do trigger an avalanche, momentum can carry you off the moving slab into safer terrain. 

 * Watch for cornices and give them a wide berth. Never walk to the edge of a drop-off without first checking it out. 

 * Look for alternatives: Follow ridges, thick trees and slopes with safer consequences. You 

can usually go back the way you came. 

 * If there's no other choice, go underground. You can almost always weather a bad storm or 

bad avalanche conditions by digging a snow cave in a protected area. You may be uncomfortable, but you will be alive. 

Coping with an avalanche 

 * If you trigger an avalanche, try to get off the slab. If you are on skis or a snowboard, try 

heading straight downhill to build speed, then angle off to the side of the moving slab. If you're 

close enough to the crown, you can try running uphill to get off the slab, or running off to the 

side. If you're ascending when the avalanche breaks, there's not much you can do. 

 * If you're on a snowmobile you have the advantage of power. Grab some throttle and if 

you're headed uphill, continue uphill. If you're headed across the slope, continue to the side to 

safe snow. If you're headed downhill, your only hope is to try to outrun the avalanche. Remember that large avalanches travel 60 to 80 mph and are difficult to outrun. 

 * If you can't escape the slab, try grabbing a tree. But do it fast; avalanches quickly pick up 

speed. 

 * If you can't escape the slab or grab a tree, swim hard. A human body is about three times 

more dense than avalanche debris and tends to sink unless it's swimming hard. 

 * As the avalanche finally slows and just before it comes to rest, try to clear an air space in 

front of your mouth. This helps delay the buildup of carbon dioxide, which allows you to live 

longer under the snow. 

 * Push a hand upward. Visual clues allow your friends to find you faster. You may not know 

which way is up, but take your best guess. 

 * After the avalanche comes to a stop, the debris will instantly set up like concrete. Unless 

you are very near the surface or have a hand sticking up out of the snow, it's almost impossible 
Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center Annual Report 2006-07 

103 

to dig yourself out of an avalanche. 

 

Avalanche Center Receives Additional Funding 

Shelley Osterloh Reporting KSL News 03-02-2007 

Bottom of Form 

The recent snowstorm we had is making the avalanche danger even worse, but the future of the 

Utah Avalanche Center just got a whole lot better. 

Two months ago, I told you the Utah Avalanche Center was in danger of having to lay off forecasters, even though they are needed more now than ever. But an e-mail campaign launched by 

the Friends of the Center and the Utah Snowmobilers Association persuaded the Utah legislature to up the Center's funding by $122,000. 

This season four people were killed in Utah avalanches. One of them died in the mountains near 

Richfield, an area that does not have the benefit of avalanche forecasting. But thanks to increased funding, instead of cutting back staff and service, there's plans for adding more. 

Bruce Tremper, director, Utah Avalanche Center: "Our ideas are to put another forecaster in the 

Logan area because they really need it there. The western Uintas have had just one person there 

all these years, and they really need two. Manti-Skyline needs a full time person and then just to 

expand the outreach program to the rest of the state." 
Annual Report 2006-07 Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center

104 

The Utah Avalanche Center currently receives $82,000 through the Utah State Parks. That figure has been raised to $204,000, an increase of 122,000. Other funds have come from private 

donations, the U.S. Forest Service, Salt Lake County and Utah Public Safety. Bruce Tremper, 

the center's director, says while they are happy to have the additional funding, he and his team 

are worried about avalanche conditions this weekend. 

Bruce Tremper: "We are really urging people to cool it this weekend, to stay off of steep slopes. 

This is not the time to be on steep slopes. Avalanches can break out very, very large, up to 10 

feet deep. You can take out the entire slope. Trigger them from the bottom, it's especially dangerous this weekend." 

Bruce Tremper says stay off of anything steeper than 30 degrees and stay out from under it, too. 

How steep is 30 degrees? Well if it's steeper than a regular flight of stairs, you shouldn't go 

there. 

Almost a third of Utah avalanche deaths since 1996 involved boarders 

By Jeremiah Stettler The Salt Lake Tribune 03-12-2007 

A purple ski hat. A backpack. A snowboard. 

 Those were the first clues to lead search and rescue crews to the bodies of three Utah snowboarders, buried by a deadly avalanche in the rugged canyons near Mount Timpanogos in December 2003. 

 The backcountry disaster would rank among Utah's worst, killing three Utah County snowboarders as they descended Roberts Horn Chute, about 2 1/2 miles north of Sundance Ski Resort. 

 Utah's avalanches have shown an uncommon appetite for snowboarders over the past decade. 

Of the 43 avalanche-related deaths since 1996, close to one-third have involved snowboarders. 

 Outside the Beehive State, snowmobilers have suffered the heaviest losses. The death toll for 

snowmobilers has reached 110 people over the same period, accounting for 36 percent of all 

avalanche fatalities, according to the National Avalanche Center. 

 Skiers and snowboarders ranked second and third, respectively. 

 The prevalence of snowboarder deaths in Utah doesn't really surprise winter sport gurus such 

as Travis Johnson, who manages Milo Snow and Skate in Salt Lake City. With city life snuggled up against the Rockies, he said avalanche terrain is easily accessible to anyone with a 

snowboard. 

 Boarders often don't realize the danger lurking on those backcountry slopes, he said. The inevitable result: avalanches. 

 Snowboarders are particularly vulnerable because of their newness to avalanche territory, 

said avalanche forecaster Craig Gordon. 

 Snowboarding gear has advanced considerably over the past 10 years, opening the backcoun-