The body of a 37-year-old Norwegian man who disappeared while skiing the backcountry in the Wasatch Mountains was discovered Thursday, the fourth avalanche death in Utah in less than a week.
Searchers located Vegard Lund of Styanger, Norway, after explosives were dropped from a helicopter to clear snow and create a safe route.
Lund was skiing with two other Norwegians on Wednesday when they became separated. His body was located via the signal emitted by an avalanche beacon he was carrying.
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The avalanche danger has been running high because fresh snow is sitting on top of “tortilla chips” — snow that sat for weeks during a dry winter stretch, said Bruce Tremper, a forecaster with the Utah Avalanche Center.
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“It’s extremely weak and brittle. It’s like putting a brick on a pile of potato chips,” Tremper said.
Four people — two skiers and two snowmobilers — have died in human-triggered avalanches in Utah since Saturday. Three people died in avalanches last weekend in Montana and Idaho.














