BRIGHTON, Utah — With winter finally arriving this week, and snow falling once again on Friday, thousands of people headed to the hills to try and take in all this fresh powder. But with not one but two fatal avalanches this week, search and rescue officials are pleading with skiers to stay away from the backcountry, at least through the weekend.
“Conditions on the mountain are as bad as they have been all winter!” warned Wasatch Search and Rescue commander Kam Kohler. “The deepest, softest snow is the most treacherous right now. It’s really, for most places, a no-go!”
Kohler’s team had the difficult task this week of recovering the body of a father buried in an avalanche while he and his son were on snowmobiles.
“The calls are tough anytime, but they become tougher when all of my rescue team knows the family, then it really compounds the stress of the situation," he shared.
The news worsened Thursday when an 11-year-old girl was caught up and killed in a slide in the out-of-bounds area of the Brighton Resort.
Child killed after getting caught in avalanche near Brighton Ski Resort:
“Oh my God, it’s just heartbreaking! I can’t imagine, I can’t imagine,” said Kseniya Kniazeva.
An avid snowboarder and Brighton season pass holder for 20 years, Kniazeva loves the powder, but knows the backcountry and out-of-bounds areas can be really risky right now.
“There’s danger out here; this is no joke," she said. "This is Mother Nature; she can take you at her will. But there’s plenty of warning signs... there is no ski patrol coming out here, you are on your own.”
For those still determined to venture far from the resort slopes, Kohler asks that you have the proper gear, know how to use it, and go with someone else who also does.
“You really have to depend on self-rescue," he advised. "So whoever is with you needs to be in on the rescue.
“If search and rescue has to get called, it’s probably going to be too late.”
