Utah finally got a major snowstorm this week, but with it came a flurry of avalanches, resulting in the first fatalities of the season, two deaths in as many days. The first fatality was on Wednesday. Around 4 p.m., the Wasatch County 911 Center received a report of an avalanche in the Snake Cre ek area west of Midway, specifically around Big Flat. Wasatch County Search and Rescue and Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the scene along with Wasatch Fire District personnel, but Search and Rescue declared the site unsafe due to hazardous avalanche conditions. An investigation determined that a man and his juvenile son were snowmobiling in the area when the man became stuck at the bottom of a steep slope. When the boy attempted to dig him out, an avalanche triggered, catching and carrying the father.  The boy used an avalanche beacon to locate his father and attempted to dig him out of the snow, but he was buried too deep and died, according to the Sheriff’s Office.  “The Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and all those affected by this tragic incident,” the Sheriff’s Office said. “We also recognize the courageous efforts of the juvenile involved and the responding personnel who assisted in this difficult situation. Our thoughts are with all those impacted.” The second fatal avalanche came Thursday in the backcountry in Upper Big Cottonwood Canyon around Brighton, leading to the death of a young girl, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. Few details had been released about the incident as of Friday afternoon.  Several close calls and numerous avalanches have been reported, the center said, including one in the Park City Ridgeline area Wednesday which caught and carried two, one of whom was nearly fully buried, with only his boot sticking out. The other was only partially buried, and both were ultimately unharmed.  The Utah Avalanche Center recorded 35 total avalanches on Wednesday and 27 Thursday. Wednesday saw the first major snowstorm in Utah during the 2025-26 season, causing major traffic backups due to slide offs and accidents along I-80 and a winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service. According to the Utah Avalanche Center, the storm overloaded widespread fragile layers of weak, faceted snow that formed during the mid-winter dry spell. This dynamic produces dangerous and unpredictable avalanches that can be remotely triggered and break wider and larger than expected, the center said. Even when low elevations are mostly bare, avalanches can occur where snow sits at higher elevations.   The Utah Avalanche Center has warned recreators to use caution and avoid traveling in avalanche terrain as human-triggered avalanches are likely after the storm. Anyone entering the backcountry should check the Utah Avalanche Center website to review current forecasts and safety guidance. Another tip is to avoid being on, under or near slopes steeper than 30 degrees, the center said. Don’t travel alone, and make sure everyone in your party carries functioning avalanche rescue gear, including a transceiver, probe and shovel. Make sure everyone knows how to use it, too. Though the storm may have passed and skies are clear, persistent layers of unstable snow will linger, creating conditions where large avalanches remain possible, the center said. The post Two killed in separate avalanches following season’s first major winter storm appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less