A solo skier injured in an avalanche in Neffs Canyon on Wednesday morning spent nearly an hour calling for help while partially buried, officials said.
The 35-year-old man was caught in the slide as he was solo skiing early Wednesday and was carried a ways before being buried up to his chest, said Sgt. Melody Cutler with Unified Police.
For about 45 minutes, he yelled for help until a Unified Fire Authority firefighter who was recreating in the area heard his shouts. The firefighter was able to reach him and render aid, Cutler said.
Search and rescue crews also responded to help the skier, who suffered a broken femur and also had begun to develop hypothermia by the time he was found, Cutler said. As of late Wednesday afternoon, rescuers were still working to safely extract him from the area amid continued avalanche danger.
The avalanche that caught the skier Wednesday likely started sometime between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., Utah Avalanche Center forecaster Nikki Champion said. It happened in the Thomas Fork area, and was about 200 feet wide and between 1 1/2- to 3-feet deep, Cutler said.
In the Salt Lake area mountains Wednesday, avalanche danger remained “considerable” on slopes facing north and northeast, according to an avalanche forecast from the Utah Avalanche Center.
“The north-facing slopes that are harboring old weak faceted snow surfaces are not to be messed with,” the forecast said.
Avalanche danger Wednesday remained “moderate” on slopes facing south and west.
