WEBER CANYON, Utah — Trevor Hanson was with about 14 other skiers and their guides on an organized cat skiing trip in Weber Canyon when disaster struck Thursday.
Hanson says the bright skies and fresh powder made for the best time.
"The day was perfect. We did 10 runs on the most beautiful power terrain you've ever seen; we were having the best time of our lives, we were high fiving each other," Hanson said.
But on their last run, the perfect day came to a tragic end.
With the group finding an area they had yet to ski, guides traversed the terrain and pushed down on the powder to see if it would move. When it didn't, the first guide skied down to make sure the area was safe. Sadly, after the next two skiers followed, an avalanche was triggered, burying both men and killing one.
Hanson was at the top and saw the entire scene unfold.
"They went down and the whole side of the mountain fell off, and so I'd never seen anything like it before in my life," he remembers. "So when the whole side of the mountain came off, it's almost like a flash flood."
He said the avalanche coated the entire canyon with white powder.
"You could see that it just took [the skiers] out, went over the hill to the bottom of the canyon, then just ran down the canyon forever," Hanson said.
The avalanche carried the two skiers much further than where they where originally caught, with 46-year-old Ryan Barr of San Diego dying on the mountain.
Hanson said Barr was the friend of a mutual friend and he had only spoken to him that day; but in their few ski conversations, he talked about his family and with such a positive attitude about life.
"To see him smiling and just having the time of his life and then he's just gone," Hanson said.
Craig Gordon with the Utah Avalanche Center says spring avalanches are not uncommon as conditions can change quickly and drastically.
"The angle of the sun is much higher in the sky, the snow takes on heat, sometimes the cloud cover takes on the sunshine, or even totally dissipates," Gordon said. "We can go to cold and snowy in the morning to warm bright sunshine in the afternoon.
"We got to be on our game in the spring."
Gordon predicts more avalanches will come with the future forecast.
"We're going to see strong winds, dense heavy snow, and maybe even rain at lower elevations," Gordon added.
Hanson says after Thursday, he's encouraging everyone to use avalanche safety gear.
"If you're going out, wear the proper equipment," he urged. "I know it's expensive, but pay every penny you can to make sure you have what you need in case this event happens."
Gordon encourages anyone going into the backcountry to check the avalanche forecast before heading out.
