SALT LAKE CITY — An avalanche swept at least five snowboarders down a rugged northern Utah canyon hit by a heavy snowstorm Friday. Two managed to dig their way out after being buried, but authorities held out little hope of finding the others alive.
Rescue workers called off their search Friday night in Provo Canyon, about 25 miles northeast of Provo, after authorities decided it was too dangerous to continue.
Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy said the missing snowboarders probably would not survive. "It’s not probable at this time," he said.
The two Utah County men who survived — ages 18 and 20 — were part of a group of five snowboarders. Witnesses reported seeing at least two other parties of skiers, but that has not been confirmed, Tracy said.
One of the survivors was hospitalized with a leg injury, Tracy said.
A snowshoer reported the avalanche Friday afternoon in the Aspen Grove area of Provo Canyon, about a mile north of Sundance ski resort, said Utah County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Dennis Harris. The area is considered backcountry and has no avalanche control.
There were three avalanches in succession, Tracy said. The first swept the five snowboarders a half mile down a narrow chute above Aspen Grove. Snow piled up from four to 14 feet deep at the bottom of the slide, which Tracy said was about three city blocks wide. The second two slides were smaller, he said.
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