Four men rescued after being trapped in an avalanche

The weather hampered efforts soon and two of the four men suffered leg injuries.

Four men, all in their mid-twenties, were rescued Sunday evening after being trapped in an avalanche while skiing on Sunday, officials say. Two of the men had injuries that required medical attention: one with a knee injury and the other with a possible broken leg, the Utah County Sergeant. Spencer Cannon said.

No one was buried in the avalanche, which Cannon said happened in the Pfeifferhorn peak area over Alpine and Little Cottonwood Canyon on the south side.

Rescue efforts were initially hampered by strong winds and extreme avalanche warnings, prompting lifeguards to form a contingency plan by sending skiers a night care package. Supplies had already been shipped once before.

But the weather improved, allowing the two most seriously injured men to be taken away for treatment. The other two men suffered minor injuries and were moved out of the area.

“Everyone comes out of the mountain and we’re all happy because we weren’t sure we were going to be able to make that happen. [Sunday]Cannon said.

Cannon said two of the victims had been rescued from the mountain, including one who had been taken by Lone Peak Ambulance to Murray Intermountain Medical Center. Cannon said the other skier was off the mountain, but could not confirm if he had been taken to the hospital. Cannon said a helicopter returned to Provo to refuel, but that the hope was that he would find favorable conditions on his return and try to hoist the other skiers and rescue team members.

According to the Utah Avalanche Center, the current avalanche danger along the Wasatch Front ranges from low in Ogden and Logan to moderate in Salt Lake City and Provo.