2 Snowmobilers Dead In Utah Avalanche

Authorities say an avalanche has killed two snowmobilers in northern Utah as new snowfall has made the slopes increasingly unstable.

Cache County sheriff's Lt. Matt Bilodeau says the slide occurred Wednesday in the Rockies near the Utah-Idaho state line.

Bilodeau said search teams didn't believe anyone else was caught in the avalanche.

The Utah Avalanche Center has cautioned people not to venture into the backcountry in the region north of Salt Lake City.

Logan is about 85 miles north of Salt Lake City.

News of the deaths comes as avalanche centers around the Rockies warned that backcountry conditions were hazardous and likely to become even more dangerous with approaching storms.

Bob Comey, director of the Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center in Jackson, Wyo. said additional snowfall up to 2 feet was forecast.

The center anticipated a major avalanche cycle during the storm and immediately afterward, he said, adding that conditions were likely to remain dangerous for some time.

"We are seeing natural avalanche activity," Comey said. "We have a weak snowpack, and we have a big storm coming in with strong winds. So we expect to see more avalanches. With the accumulated snow from the past several storms, plus the new snow that's anticipated, we're expecting to see large avalanches."

The National Weather Service predicted snow in Jackson every day through the weekend.

"It's a good time to back off and do something else," Comey said of the possibility for skiing and snowmobiling in the backcountry.

Shelly Grail of the U.S. Forest Service said the avalanche danger dates to October, when warm weather followed early snows. That created layers of fine, unstable snow and hard snow that can readily break apart. Since 1950, Colorado has led the nation in avalanche-related deaths, with 221.

A wave of winter storms has dumped snow all over Utah, especially in the mountains. Another round expected Wednesday and Thursday could push the danger level from high to extreme.

The Utah Avalanche Center said steep slopes where snow has drifted in the wind were the most vulnerable. People are being discouraged from going to the backcountry until the conditions improve.

The avalanche center said a backcountry skier escaped two separate avalanches in the Park City mountains on Monday by clinging to trees for safety. He wasn't injured.