NORTHERN UTAH -- The Salt Lake area mountains are under an avalanche watch Friday night, with dangerous conditions expected to develop.
A local snowboarding instructor recently completed this video with the Utah Avalanche Center about backcountry skiing danger.
Blake Clark calls it the five red flags of avalanches, and he says he came up with the idea after watching the news and seeing all of the avalanche warnings.
“It’s not worth the risk when the avalanche dangers are so high,” he said. “So people don’t know that they might even see a ski lift and just cut a rope or something and cause avalanches close to the resort, and bring them in bounds."
Clark said the five red flags are avalanches themselves, cracking or collapsing of the snow, strong winds, heavy snow, and a rapid rise in temperatures.
Experts said it's best to avoid the backcountry if you experience any of these red flags.
