Search crews uncover bodies of 2 skiers buried by Utah avalanche, ready to bring them off mountain

Search crews person uncovered the bodies of 2 backcountry skiers who were swept distant and buried by an avalanche successful the mountains extracurricular Salt Lake City

SANDY, Utah -- Search crews connected Friday uncovered the bodies of 2 backcountry skiers who were swept distant and buried by an avalanche successful the mountains extracurricular Salt Lake City a time earlier and were preparing to bring them disconnected the upland via helicopter, Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said.

The men, ages 23 and 32, were killed successful the snowslide Thursday greeting successful the country of Lone Peak successful the Wasatch Range southeast of the city, officials. Storms successful the erstwhile 3 days brought up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) of heavy, bedewed snowfall and beardown winds to the area.

Three men were climbing up a ridge connected a slope called Big Willow Aprons and adjacent the apical erstwhile the descent was unintentionally triggered, the Utah Avalanche Center said.

The archetypal climber was carried downhill connected the close broadside of the ridge and partially buried. The different 2 were swept distant connected the near broadside of the ridge and buried, the halfway said successful its report.

The archetypal climber was capable to excavation himself retired and telephone for help. He was rescued by mid-day Thursday, but the upwind conditions prevented the betterment of the different 2 men.

Family members of the 2 victims were astatine the hunt staging country adjacent Sandy connected Friday, Rivera said.

The snowfall broke astir 2 feet (61 centimeters) heavy and 250 feet (76 meter) crossed and slid down astir 500 feet (152 meters), the avalanche halfway said.

The country wherever the avalanche occurred, Lone Peak, is 1 of the highest peaks successful the Wasatch Range towering implicit Utah’s superior city. Its steep, rugged terrain makes it a fashionable destination for precocious backcountry skiers, and experienced climbers tin beryllium recovered scaling its sheer granite walls successful the warmer months.

“This is precise superior terrain. It’s steep. It’s north-facing. The unit that was up determination would person to beryllium experienced,” Craig Gordon with the Utah Avalanche Center said Thursday.

Rivera confirmed the men were acquisition skiers.

The deaths bring this winter’s tally of avalanche deaths successful the U.S. to 15, according to the Utah Avalanche Information Center, which tracks avalanche deaths. An mean of 30 radical dice successful avalanches each twelvemonth successful the U.S.

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Hanson reported from Helena, Montana.