Utah avalanche triggers search for 3 skiers in mountains outside of Salt Lake City

Rescue crews were searching for three skiers following an avalanche Thursday in the mountains outside of Salt Lake City that occurred after several days of spring snowstorms, authorities said.

A rescue team responded just after 10 a.m. to an avalanche reported near Lone Peak in the in the Wasatch Range southeast of Salt Lake City, Unified Police Sgt. Aymee Race says.

ABC4-TV in Salt Lake City reported a rescue helicopter could be seen taking off from Hidden Valley Park in the Salt Lake City area, which is the base of the rescue operation.

Craig Gordon with the Utah Avalanche Center told ABC4 that about 2.5 feet of snow (76 centimeters) fell in the area in the past three days.

The skiers would have had to have been very experienced to even be in the “very serious terrain,” he said. Gordon was in the area about 11 a.m. and said the on-and-off showers could make search efforts difficult.