At 5:00 PM Friday, March 7th, the Summit County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) received a report of an adult male skier who had not returned home as expected.The individual was believed to have been skiing alone in a backcountry area near Hoyt Peak, located northeast of Kamas City.

Search and Rescue (SAR) resources were immediately deployed, and a coordinated search was initiated. During the initial search, SAR teams identified an area with relatively fresh avalanche debris and performed a transceiver search, but no signal was detected. At that time, it was unclear whether the overdue skier had been involved in the avalanche. Due to extremely hazardous conditions, SAR commanders decided to temporarily suspend the search late on March 7, with plans to resume operations at first light on March 8.

A debrief with personnel and Incident Site Commander late Friday evening concluded additional resources were needed to assist with avalanche mitigation, allowing searchers to operate safely and effectively.

0700 Teams assembled at Summit County SAR HQ to formulate plans

0740 UAC Forecasters picked up from IC and surveyed the scene by air to provide Canyons Snow Safety team imagery for avalanche mitigation surrounding the accident scene.

0800 DPS helicopter headed for fuel and to Canyons Village to pick up a mitigation team.

0905 Canyons Snow Safety lands at IC and preps for control work to the accident scene.

0935 Summit County Search and Rescue, Wasatch Backcountry Rescue. Canyons Snow Safety, and UAC Forecasters arrive at the accident scene at Hoyt Peak.

1005 Crews begin rescue and recovery efforts at the accident scene and work the debris with two dog teams.

1045 Dog 1 signals on the avalanche debris, a probe strike reveals a ski.

1047 Dog 1 signals again 10’ up slope on the debris, blood is noted on the snow.

1049 Positive probe strike reveals burial at 50-80cm.

Late October and early November storms delivered shallow coats of early winter snow to the western Uintas. A substantial shot of Thanksgiving moisture provided some substance and created enough base to kick off the winter season. However, the moisture tap dried out as the jet stream shifted far to the north of the Uinta region. This set the stage for a weak snowpack and basal faceting, along with a few early season avalanches. However, the blueprint for a structurally challenged snowpack was written. A powerful holiday storm stacked up a couple of feet of dense, heavy snow, producing a widespread avalanche cycle as winter returned from its hiatus during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Storm systems lined up on the West Coast and looked promising going into the New Year. However, those hopes faded as most of the energy evaporated once they came onshore. Dribs and drabs of moisture would offer the remnants of once robust storm systems, but they lacked substantial snow water equivalent (SWE), which would help the snowpack gain strength. Unusually cold mid-January temperatures combined with a two-week dry spell, set the stage for another round of faceting.

Early February was marked with a warm, wet, and very windy storm, but little snow accumulated near Hoyt Peak until February 7th when the Redden Mine SNOTEL recorded 4” of snow and .60 SWE. Near Hoyt Peak, storm totals are slightly more… 6” snow with .80” SWE. During the height of the storm, south and southwest winds crank in the 40’s (mph) and blast into the 70’s near the high ridges. Post-frontal cold air delivers 4” of low-density snow to wrap up the storm on the 8th.

Clear, cold weather settles in from the 8th through the 13th, though a multi-day storm was on the horizon, slated to settle into the region beginning mid-month.An Avalanche Warning is issued on the 14th, and the Valentine’s storm cycle churneds away for 48 hours, stacking up 15” of snow and 1.7” H2O at Redden. Higher in the drainage and closer to Hoyt Peak, 20” of snow with 2.2” SWE piles up. Nearby ridgelines experience steady west and southwest winds blowing 30-50 mph throughout the storm.

Minor storminess produces a couple of inches of snow for the first week of March, but that’s the precursor to a larger, more energetic system that slid into the Uinta zone on March 4th through the 7th. It's not quite the energy as the Valentine’s cycle, but the early March system heaps up nearly 24” of snow with 1.9” SWE. Moderate southwest winds blow in the 20’s and 30’s for almost nine hours. As the storm taps into cold, unstable air, winds die down, and turn northwest. The storm is right-side-up, meaning the dense snow is at the bottom and lighter on top, and the riding conditions are all-time. Under mostly cloudy skies, a few snow showers linger on the morning of Friday, March 7th. Temperatures are in the teens, and westerly winds blow 10-20 mph near the high ridgelines.