A 37-year-old man lost his life in an avalanche while snowmobiling in the Utah backcountry on Monday. The victim, identified as Scott Wright from Evanston, Wyoming, was riding with a friend in the Monte Cristo Snowmobile Area near the Rich County and Cache County line when the avalanche struck, as reported by the Rich County Sheriff’s Office.
The Utah Avalanche Center stated that Wright was caught, carried, and fully buried in a large hard slab avalanche in the Whiskey Hill-Beer Hill area of Curtis Creek. Despite his friend's efforts to locate him, the absence of an avalanche transceiver signal hindered the search. Consequently, the friend contacted 911 for assistance.
Rich County Search and Rescue initiated the search for Wright shortly after 3 p.m. Due to the deep snow at the avalanche site, rescuers faced challenges in locating him, and it took nearly four hours before they could recover his body around 6:30 p.m.
The circumstances surrounding the triggering of the avalanche remain unclear. Dave Sparks from Sparks Heavy Rescue, involved in the search operation, described the complexity of the situation due to the massive size of the slide. He emphasized the unpredictable nature of backcountry terrain, noting the challenging conditions this year with particularly poor snow quality.
Earlier on the same day, a snowboarder in Little Cottonwood Canyon sustained minor injuries in a separate avalanche incident. Wright's unfortunate demise marks the first avalanche fatality in Utah this year, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. Last year, avalanches claimed four lives, while three fatalities were recorded in 2023.
