In a rare on-the-job tragedy, a veteran avalanche forecaster聽聽Thursday afternoon. The Utah Department of Transportation employee was checking the stability of a snowpack in Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Range.聽
Craig Patterson, 34,聽聽to assess safety conditions around the Brighton and Solitude ski resorts. Rising afternoon temperatures can sometimes lead to shifting on steep slopes around Kessler Peak, so Patterson was gauging the changing snow conditions.
It appears that Patterson had been able to聽聽and was wearing an AvaLung.
His death is unusual considering his preparedness and the rarity of job-related deaths for avalanche forecasters. Only two other American forecasters have died on the job, according to the American Avalanche Association.