Two brothers were lucky to survive this holiday season after being caught in an avalanche that buried one brother under the snow.
The avalanche occurred in the Steep Hollow area of Franklin Basin in Cache County on Christmas Eve. Utah's FOX13 News reported.
Local TV stations said the men were riding snowmobiles when one of their vehicles caused an avalanche.
One of the brothers was carried about 150 yards before being completely buried, according to an accident report from the Utah Avalanche Center.
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The men caught in the Christmas Eve avalanche were preparing gear for a backcountry trip, according to FOX 13 News Utah. (Utah Avalanche Center)
“He was discovered by his brother who approached him using a walkie-talkie and could see several fingers of his gloved hand poking out of the snow,” the report said.
The avalanche elevation was approximately 9,000 feet. There was a “persistent weak layer” in the area where the accident occurred, the accident report said.
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The avalanche occurred at an altitude of 9,000 feet, according to a statement from the Utah Avalanche Center. (Utah Avalanche Center)
“I could see his hand, his glove sticking out, waving,” Braden Hansen told NBC News about his brother Hunter. “But by the time I got to him, he was about 2 feet tall and his head was about 2 feet under the snow.”
“I cleared the snow from his head, removed the helmet so he could breathe again, and started digging the body out of there,” he said.
After one man pulled his brother out of the snow, the two men piled into a snowmobile and set off from the remote area. (Utah Avalanche Center)
According to the Avalanche Center, the two men escaped from the remote area in a team-up.
The brothers who were buried suffered minor injuries, according to FOX 13.
“They had a very, very lucky Christmas Eve,” Toby Weed, a forecaster with the Utah Avalanche Center, told a local station. “No. 1, always go in and read the weather forecast. The weather forecast for that day was quite avalanche because of the avalanche danger. And it's actually the same danger that's happening today here in Logan. is.”
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Avalanche danger is “widespread” in the mountains of northern Utah and southeastern Idaho heading into the weekend, the Avalanche Center said.
