Two skiers killed in avalanche in Utah following snowstorms

(SANDY, Utah) – An avalanche Thursday in the mountains outside Salt Lake City that occurred after several days of spring snowstorms left two backcountry skiers dead and one rescued, authorities said.

A rescue team responded shortly after 10 a.m. to an avalanche reported near Lone Peak in the Wasatch Range southeast of Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said.

One of the skiers, who was able to dig himself out of the snow, was rescued and taken to the hospital by midday, Rivera said.

A rescue team flew a helicopter over the area Thursday afternoon and confirmed that the other two men were deceased, Rivera said. There are two men aged 23 and 32. Their names have not been published.

Conditions were not safe enough Thursday to allow recovery, and crews planned to leave Friday morning if weather permitted, Rivera said.

Rivera said she believes the man who was rescued was the one who called for help. Officers spoke with him at the hospital to get more information about the incident, the sheriff said.

The skiers hiked into the area Thursday morning, she said.

Craig Gordon of the Utah Avalanche Center said about 2.5 feet (76 centimeters) of heavy, wet snow has fallen in the area over the past three days.

The skiers would have had to be very experienced to even be in the “very serious terrain,” he said.

At least 15 people have died in avalanche accidents in the United States so far this winter. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center, which tracks the toll nationwide, counted 13 deaths before authorities announced the death toll on Thursday.