It's a risk that all snowsports enthusiasts face everytime they set out onto the mountian, a danger with sometimes fatal consequences that we should all take very seriously. Here Matt Evans, previously Resort Reporter for Snowbird tells us how very real the dangers are...

The moutain is greater than the man
Sadly the avalanche happened on the afternoon of Sun 21 Dec, in an area called High Baldy. Which is about 10,000 feet up and was open to skiers for the first time on Sunday. 

The victim, 27-year-old Heather Gross from Salt Lake City, was skiing in-bounds with a friend when the avalanche occurred. She remained buried in several feet of snow and debris for more than an hour. Rescuers used search dogs and a probe to find her. Initially she was alive and flown to University Hospital, but she later died. She was a longtime skier at Snowbird.

Shock for Snowbird
Russell Petersen says there were a lot of skiers where Gross was before the avalanche. He had just made the run. "I just couldn't believe it. I mean, that close. If we had taken one more run, we could have been in it," he said.

Gross's father tells the Salt Lake Tribune she did a life's worth of living in 27 years.