At least 14 people were killed in avalanches last week, the deadliest week of US avalanches

Jessen, Moughamian and Nyman are three of the 14 people who have died in avalanches since February 1. This is the highest number of avalanches recorded in a seven-day period since the U.S. Forest Service’s Avalanche Center, according to Karl Birkeland, the center’s director.

Moughamian and three others died at the weekend when an avalanche swept through a ski area near Salt Lake City on Saturday. They are the most recent in a series of deaths caused by six avalanches in six states:

At least 21 people in the U.S. have died in avalanches since the start of the season in December 2020, according to Avalanche.org, a website of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center that monitors nationwide avalanche accidents.

Why it was an active year for avalanches

There are two likely reasons why there have been more avalanches this year: more people are enjoying the outdoors in the wilder parts of the West and a ‘very dangerous snow pack’, said Nikki Champion, a forecaster at the Utah Avalanche Center.

This year’s avalanche was probably more active due to a ‘persistently weak layer’ of snow, she said.

Snowfall was relatively light in November and December compared to years before, and because there were droughts in the early winter, the early snowfall is not related, she said. That weak layer of snowfall forms the basis of the snowpack throughout the West, including Utah, Colorado and Montana. All the new snow is sitting on top of the weak base, Champion said.

The layer has also been more persistent in recent years, she said. Utah and Colorado are experiencing less snow than usual, so the weak bottom layer is stuck for months.

The increase in deaths can also be explained by the increase in people visiting the West’s hinterland to go skiing and hiking. As many ski resorts closed during the pandemic, “more people are choosing to enter the hinterland,” Champion said.

How to avoid getting stuck in an avalanche

Champion recommends checking with local offices to see if there is an avalanche forecast. If you plan to ski through the country, bring the appropriate avalanche equipment, she says, including a shovel, beacon and probe – and take a partner with you.

However, the best advice is to avoid areas where an avalanche can occur, Champion said.

“It’s not really a problem you can outwit,” she said.