As forecasters from the Utah Avalanche Center continue to monitor the avalanche danger in Utah Toby Weed from the Utah Avalanche Center says similar conditions twenty years ago that triggered an avalanche that killed three Northern Utah skiers.
The three were described in an Associated Press story as rugged and well equipped backcountry skiers who had been sleeping in a tent when an avalanche buried them in 4 to 6 feet of snow.
“A sad day to remember,January 11, 1997,” said Weed, who monitors and measures snowpack and backcountry conditions in Northern Utah for the Utah Avalanche Center.
“Three experienced and well loved local backcountry skiers,Max Lyon, Karl Mueggler, and Keith Maas were killed by an avalanche while they slept in a tent in Logan Dry Canyon. The horrible accident stunned the Logan backcountry community and remains clear in the memories of many,” he says.
Weed has witnessed several natural avalanches along the Wellsville mountain range this week. He’s warning people who want to ski and snowboard in these unpredictable conditions to stay away from the backcountry. Snowmobilers should stay in the valleys and avoid the slopes.
“You know, we’ve picked up feet and feet of snow and we need to let that stabilize. It may not take too long. It may just be a matter of a couple days. But right now is not the time to be hitting those hills.”
