Michael Janulaitis, 51, was skiing alone in familiar terrain without a transceiver when the veteran backcountry adventurer and observer for the Utah Avalanche Center was swept up and killed in a snowslide March 7 near Hoyt Peak.
The Marion resident rode his snow bike into the nearby Uintas for two laps before he took a third run on a riskier, north-facing slope that ultimately caught, carried, buried and killed him.
“We will never know exactly what Michael’s thought process was on the day of the accident, but what we do know is, Michael was very familiar with the terrain and the route he traveled,” according to a report from the Avalanche Center. “He left his house in Marion, Utah, at the base of Hoyt Peak at approximately 8:30 a.m. He rode his snow bike, following a summer road to the base of a broad, open, low-angle south-facing slope below Hoyt Peak. Michael placed his up track in a safe location and skied two laps on the sunny slope. At 12:10 p.m. he checked in with his wife via text, indicating all was OK.”
According to the report:
The rescue search was initiated at 5 p.m. when Janulaitis did not return home. Search and rescue teams identified the avalanched area at Hoyt Peak, though without detecting a transceiver signal in the debris, were uncertain whether Janulaitis was involved. Due to hazardous conditions, the searchers had to pause until proper mitigation was carried out the following morning.
On March 8, Utah Avalanche Center forecasters Craig Gordon and Andrew Nassetta came to the scene to assess the avalanche risks and strategies for mitigation before bringing the teams back in to continue searching. By 9:35 a.m., Park City Mountain’s Canyons Snow Safety, Summit County Search and Rescue, Wasatch Backcountry Rescue, and forecasters began working through the debris with the help of two dog teams.
At 10:49 a.m., Janulaitis was found deceased and buried a foot to 3 feet deep. Forecasters speculated the incident occurred after his second lap down Hoyt Peak. The team traced his third run tracks to a low-angle, east-facing ramp that led to a north-facing slope with much greater complexity. Here, he took several turns before triggering the fatal avalanche.
“It was not unusual for Michael Janulaitis to snow-bike and ski solo. But like all lone mountaineers, this manner of travel left him vulnerable to the slightest gear malfunction, injury, or other mishap … let alone triggering a large avalanche with no one to assist in a rescue,” wrote forecasters.
“The route, the terrain, the local weather and snowpack complexities, and the mode of travel were all very familiar to Michael. However, it is probably this familiarity that led to a feeling of comfort,” they wrote.
The Hoyt Peak terrain reaches 43 degrees in slope angle with a high complexity of trees with multiple avalanche-prone breakover sites. The avalanche was characterized by two storm cycles and a warming period in between that made for three loading events leading up to March 7.
While the area saw little snow in early February, the Valentine’s Day storm cycle brought 20 inches of snow with 2.2 inches of snow water equivalent, making for a heavy and dense snow layer that was followed by warm temperatures and high pressure systems in the area.
In early March and the days leading up to Janulaitis’s death, Hoyt Peak saw 24 inches of snowfall with 1.9 inches of snow water equivalent.
“As the storm taps into cold, unstable air, winds died down and turned northwest. The storm is right side up, meaning the dense snow is at the bottom and lighter on top, and the riding conditions are all-time. Under mostly cloudy skies, a few snow showers linger on the morning of Friday, March 7,” the forecasters said in the report.
Craig Gordon, the forecaster for the Uinta region, declared moderate to considerable avalanche danger in the area on March 7 following the storm.
“Significant amounts of storm snow blankets our mountains from tip to tail, offering a slightly more straightforward and predictable avalanche dragon and moderate avalanche danger. But don’t let your guard down. … Human triggered avalanches packing a punch are possible, especially on sustained, steep slopes,” said Gordon in his March 7 forecast.
View the full accident report here: https://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanche/94669