By Stephanie Terry
With the record snowfalls and fluctuating weather, avalanches are a serious danger in the canyons this winter.
In Utah, an average of four to five fatalities a year occur from avalanches, said Drew Hardesty, a forecaster for the USDA Forest Service for the Utah Avalanche Center.
'Avalanches happen on steep slopes when stress is applied to a snow layer and it becomes unstable and collapses,' Hardesty said. 'Even a single skier stresses the snow-pack in one spot.'
Most avalanches occur during or just after a storm on sunny days, Hardesty said.
He added that 93 percent of all avalanches are triggered by the victim of the avalanche, or someone in the victim''s party.
'Being in an avalanche feels like being thrown out of a raft into a class five river,' Hardesty said. 'It''s like being tumbled in a washing machine.'
Burton Olsen, a BYU professor for Recreation Management and Youth Leadership, came within 100 feet of an avalanche while snowshoeing in Timpanooke with one of his classes.
'We heard a big crack and I knew what it was,' Olsen said. 'So we ran down the trail out of its way and watched it. We were lucky.'
Olsen advised people to read up on avalanches, talk to experts and take an avalanche prevention class before going into the backcountry.
Most importantly, Olsen said: 'Just stay away! Don''t go out in the backcountry with steep terrain and new snow.'
Hardesty recommended when a person sees an avalanche start, they should try to get out of its path as fast as they can before it picks up speed.
'The trick is being in a place where the consequences are minimal,' Hardesty said.
Olsen suggested that if a person gets caught in an avalanche, they should 'swim' and try to get on top of the avalanche to avoid being buried.
A person going into the backcountry should take the appropriate equipment in case they are faced with an avalanche. Hardesty recommended bringing an avalanche transceiver, collapsible probe poles, a shovel and an avalung.
When a person gets buried in the snow, the carbon dioxide they exhale and the moisture in the snow starts to freeze and form a mask in front of them. But the avalung makes the person breathe into the snow behind them, providing them more time to survive while being rescued.
If a person gets stranded after an avalanche, Olsen said they should build a snow cave to survive overnight.
'Even if it''s minus 17 degrees outside, inside the cave it can get around 32 to 38 degrees,' he said.
Olsen developed a five-step system to building warm, safe and dependable snow caves. For more information see the article at the bottom of this story.
Hardesty said those going to the mountains check the snow reports on the Utah Avalanche Center hotline and web site for any avalanche information or warnings.
The Utah Avalanche Center can be accessed at (801) 378-4333 or at www.avalanche.org.