A Christmas Eve snowmobile trip Utah nearly ended in tragedy for two brothers after triggering an avalanche that caught, carried and buried one of them.
Braeden and Hunter Hansen were climbing a to meadow in Logan Canyon when the slide occurred. Hunter was caught in the slide and fully buried. Braeden immediately turned his avalanche beacon to search mode and quickly found his brother fully buried under about 2 feet of snow with only a couple fingers poking out of the avalanche debris.
Once located Braeden shoveled out his brother who suffered only minor injuries and they were able to ride out of the area under their own power.
UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER PRESS RELEASE:
CACHE COUNTY, Utah — Two brothers are home safe after being caught in an avalanche on Christmas Eve morning in the Steep Hollow area of Franklin Basin in Cache County.
“Those guys had a very, very lucky Christmas Eve,” explained Toby Weed, a forecaster with the Utah Avalanche Center.
The men were out for a ride on snowmobiles when one of them riding across a slope or “side-hilling” triggered the avalanche. One of the men was caught up in the avalanche and was carried about 150 yards and buried.
Luckily, Weed said both men had the equipment necessary for backcountry travel.
“The brother who was not buried used his transceiver to find the brother who was buried, and it got him pretty close,” said Weed, “and when he got close enough, he could see a couple fingers sticking out of the snow of his brother and was able to dig him out.”
The brother who was buried suffered just minor injuries and both men were able to ride out of the area. It was a much different outcome compared to another avalanche that happened in Cache County 16 years ago on Christmas Eve.
“It was actually a party of four young men who rode up Providence Canyon and only about maybe 15 minutes from Logan, when somebody, one or two of the party of four, triggered the avalanche,” Weed said.
Two riders, 22-year-old Erik Jorgensen and 23-year-old Jesse Johnson, both from Utah, were killed.
Weed shared tips about how to avoid avalanche dangers similar to the deadly incident nearly two decades ago.
“Number one, always access and read the forecast. The forecast that day, was for considerable avalanche danger, and that’s actually the same danger that it is here in Logan today,” he said.
The avalanche danger level is expected to be high this weekend, which drives home the importance of taking a look at all the forecasts available for those going up into the backcountry.
Observation Date: Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Avalanche Date: Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Region:Logan » Franklin Basin » Steep Hollow
Location Name or Route: SteepH Timber Sale
Elevation: 8,400′
Aspect: Northwest
Slope Angle: 25°
Trigger: Snowmobiler
Avalanche Type: Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem: Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer: Facets
Depth: 2.5′
Width: 500′
Vertical: Unknown
Caught: 1
Carried: 1
Buried – Fully: 1
Injured: 1
Accident and Rescue Summary
A sledder was side-hilling in a bowl beneath a cliff band in Steep Hollow when he triggered the avalanche. He saw the slope ripple below and around his sled, but was able to ride off the north flank of the avalanche. He watched as the avalanche swept up his brother who was standing next to his sled below the slope. The avalanche carried the rider approximately 150 yards and fully buried him. He was recovered by his brother, who used a transceiver to get close enough to see a couple of fingers of a gloved hand sticking out of the snow. After his recovery, the rider who had sustained only minor injuries, doubled up with his brother and was able to ride out of the backcountry.
