By TRAVIS MURDOCK
An avalanche above Sundance ski resort buried a woman and her daughter in their home Thursday morning. Although their injuries were minor, they were taken by snowcat to a waiting ambulance and the roads above Sundance were closed.
At approximately 8 a.m., an avalanche 25 feet deep and 50 feet wide crashed through the kitchen window of the general manager of operations of Sundance, who moved to Utah 10 days ago from Hawaii. His wife and five-year-old daughter were trapped beneath the snow until he dug them out. His wife called for help by telephone and the mountain operations crew rescued the family. The other members of the family were unhurt by the avalanche.
“The five-year-old girl was completely buried by the avalanche for a short time. The father’s quick actions saved the child,” said Missy Larsen, public relations manager of Sundance.
“The avalanche affected only one home. The home stopped 80 percent of the force of the avalanche; it is a miracle that no one was seriously hurt,” said Greg Poirier, director of lodging at Sundance. Poirier and members of the mountain operations crew were the first rescuers at the home.
The road to Sundance was closed in the morning because of the avalanche hazard in the canyon. The high percentage of water and volume in the snow contributed to the avalanche hazard.
Employees of Sundance were unable to drive through the canyon until 11 a.m. when the roads were deemed safe by avalanche control experts.
“There has never been an avalanche in this part of the mountain before today (Thursday),” Larsen said. “Although we received 14 inches of new, wet snow last night at Sundance, the conditions are great for skiing.”
Sundance receives 400 to 500 inches of snow each season. The ski patrol regularly sets explosive charges to release accumulated snow.
“No uncontrolled avalanches have occurred at Sundance for as long as anyone can remember,” Poirier said.
The canyon and ski area were patrolled early in the morning and no danger of more avalanches exist, Larsen said. The family was released from the hospital Thursday morning.
