Avalanche in Salt River & Wyoming Ranges, Wyoming

Three men were killed near Cottonwood Lake when an avalanche enveloped them and their snowmobiles. The slide was estimated to have been one-half mile long, 400 yards wide at the bottom, and covered about 10 acres at an average depth of 10 feet in the runout zone. The snow was powerful enough to uproot or snap trees that were two feet in diameter. The strength of the slide allowed it to push across an open meadow and then uphill before slowing to a stop.