Despite one brother being buried under snow, the brothers survive the Cache County avalanche

Cache County, Utah – After being trapped in an avalanche on Christmas Eve morning in the Steep Hollow region of Cache County’s Franklin Basin, two brothers are safely back at home.

“Those guys had a very, very lucky Christmas Eve,” Utah Avalanche Center forecaster Toby Weed said.

The avalanche was caused by one of the men riding a snowmobile across a side hill or slope while the others were out on a ride. One of the men was buried after becoming entangled in the avalanche and being transported roughly 150 yards.

Fortunately, according to Weed, both men had the gear required for backcountry travel.

“The brother who was not buried used his transceiver to find the brother who was buried, and it got him pretty close,” stated Weed, “and when he got close enough, he could see a couple of fingers sticking out of the snow of his brother and was able to dig him out.”

Both men were able to ride away from the scene, and the buried brother only sustained minor wounds. Compared to another avalanche that occurred in Cache County on Christmas Eve sixteen years prior, the result was very different.

“It was actually a party of four young men rode up Providence Canyon and only about maybe 15 minutes from when somebody, one of the party or two of the party of four, triggered the avalanche,” Weed explained.

Two riders were killed: Jesse Johnson, 23, and Erik Jorgensen, 22, both from Utah.
Weed offered advice on avoiding avalanche hazards like the fatal event that occurred almost twenty years ago.

The first rule is to always check and read the forecast. According to the prediction that day, there was a significant risk of an avalanche, and Logan is currently experiencing the same threat,” he stated.

This weekend is predicted to be a high avalanche hazard level, which emphasizes how crucial it is for anyone heading up into the backcountry to review all of the forecasts.