WASATCH COUNTY, Utah — An adult male snowmobiler was reported buried in an avalanche Sunday afternoon in the Snake Creek area west of Midway.
The Wasatch County 911 Center received the report at about 4:30 p.m. Emergency crews responded, but the slide was described as large and unstable snow conditions prevented rescuers from remaining in the debris field. Search operations were suspended for the night because of continued avalanche danger.
Officials said avalanche control explosives will be used to secure the area before search efforts resume Monday. Wasatch County Search and Rescue crews requested the help of a state helicopter to aid in the search. Once the terrain is more stable crews will resume the search for the victim.
The incident marks the second reported avalanche involving a buried individual in the Snake Creek drainage within the past week.
The Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office urged backcountry recreationists to check forecasts from the Utah Avalanche Center before heading into the mountains, noting that recent storms have created hazardous conditions across much of the Wasatch range.
Wasatch County Search and Rescue, the Wasatch County Fire District, sheriff’s deputies, AirMed, the Utah Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau and the Utah Department of Natural Resources assisted in the response.
No additional information was immediately available.
