Snowstorm Brings Fresh Powder, Avalanches

The first major snowstorm of the season more than doubled the snowpack on Bald Mountain last week, stacking upwards of four feet of snow on Sun Valley Resort. Baldy was as busy as ever when the skies cleared on Saturday, with skiers and riders eagerly dropping into feet of fresh powder in the bowls, seen here. But enthusiasm was tempered by dangerous conditions—and an on-mountain tragedy—a day prior. The resort was forced to close operations early on Friday afternoon amid “snow safety” concerns, as warm temperatures and unstable snowpack produced heightened avalanche danger. On Friday, skiers caused three separate out-of-bounds avalanches, resulting in some minor injuries and damage to three houses on Skiway Drive. Read about that here. Also on Friday, a Hailey man died following a suspected snow immersion on Bald Mountain. See the story here.