At 5:00 PM Friday, March 7, the Summit County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) received a report of an adult male skier who had not returned home as expected. The individual was believed to have been skiing alone in a backcountry area near Hoyt Peak, located northeast of Kamas City.

Search and Rescue (SAR) resources were immediately deployed, and a coordinated search was initiated. During the initial search, SAR teams identified an area with relatively fresh avalanche debris and performed a transceiver search, but no signal was detected. At that time, it was unclear whether the overdue skier had been involved in the avalanche. Due to extremely hazardous conditions, SAR commanders decided to temporarily suspend the search late on March 7, with plans to resume operations at first light on March 8.

A debrief with personnel and Incident Site Commander late Friday evening concluded additional resources were needed to assist with avalanche mitigation, allowing searchers to operate safely and effectively.

Late October and early November storms delivered shallow coats of early winter snow to the western Uintas. A substantial shot of Thanksgiving moisture provided some substance and created enough base to kick off the winter season. However, the moisture tap dried out as the jet stream shifted far to the north of the Uinta region. This set the stage for a weak snowpack and basal faceting, along with a few early season avalanches. However, the blueprint for a structurally challenged snowpack was written. A powerful holiday storm stacked up a couple of feet of dense, heavy snow, producing a widespread avalanche cycle as winter returned from its hiatus during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

Storm systems lined up on the West Coast and looked promising going into the New Year. However, those hopes faded as most of the energy evaporated once they came onshore. Dribs and drabs of moisture would offer the remnants of once robust storm systems, but they lacked substantial snow water equivalent (SWE), which would help the snowpack gain strength. Unusually cold mid-January temperatures combined with a two-week dry spell, set the stage for another round of faceting.

Early February was marked with a warm, wet, and very windy storm, but little snow accumulated near Hoyt Peak until February 7 when the Redden Mine SNOTEL recorded 4” of snow and .60 SWE. Near Hoyt Peak, storm totals are slightly more… 6” snow with .80” SWE. During the height of the storm, winds blowing from the south and southwest cranked in the 40s mph and blasted into the 70s near the high ridges. Post-frontal cold air delivers 4” of low-density snow to wrap up the storm on the February 8. Clear, cold weather settles in from the February 8 - 13, though a multi-day storm was on the horizon, slated to settle into the region beginning mid-month. An Avalanche Warning was issued on February 14, and the Valentine’s storm cycle churned away for 48 hours, stacking up 15” of snow and 1.7” SWE at Redden. Higher in the drainage and closer to Hoyt Peak, 20” of snow with 2.2” SWE piles up. Nearby ridgelines experience steady winds blowing from the west and southwest 30-50 mph throughout the storm.

Minor storminess produces a couple of inches of snow for the first week of March, but that’s the precursor to a larger, more energetic system that slid into the Uinta zone on March 4 - 7. It's not quite as energetic as the Valentine’s cycle, but the early March system heaps up nearly 24” of snow with 1.9” SWE. Moderate southwest winds blow in the 20s and 30s for almost nine hours. As the storm taps into cold, unstable air, winds died down and turned northwest. The storm is right-side-up, meaning the dense snow is at the bottom and lighter on top, and the riding conditions are all-time. Under mostly cloudy skies, a few snow showers linger on the morning of Friday, March 7. Temperatures are in the teens, and westerly winds blow 10-20 mph near the high ridgelines.