An often deadly quest for perfect powder

Avalanche experts say average annual death tolls have edged up from 20 to 25 over the last decade and are likely to increase as more people with better technology and a new "extreme sports" mentality venture into remote areas in search of untrammeled powder.

But even a seemingly innocuous snowpack can hide tragedy: Layers of snowfall, often interspersed with ice, can slough off at the slightest disturbance.

"There have been avalanche fatalities since people have been in the West and in the Alps, but what has changed is the equipment has gotten better and there's a lot of hype associated with the outdoor retail industry," said Sue Burak, an avalanche forecaster for the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center. "They're encouraging people to go out, and the level of backcountry skills haven't caught up with the technology."

Every avalanche fatality this year, except for one in Utah, involved a person who was skiing, snowmobiling or snowboarding outside of designated areas or in wilderness, with the majority of the deaths in backcountry. Only 1% of all avalanche deaths in the United States occurred within the bounds of skiing or snowboarding resorts. About 11% were out-of-bounds deaths, and the rest were in backcountry.

On Friday, three men were killed in avalanches near Wrightwood while skiing out-of-bounds in canyons adjacent to Mountain High's groomed slopes. Two of the victims were members of the resort's ski patrol, and the third was an experienced backcountry skier. Mountain High ski resort typically helps fill its slopes with man-made snow, leaving adjacent areas more bare. But the area had experienced 4 feet of fresh powder over the last few days. Another storm was expected Saturday night.

"In Southern California, having these big dumps of powder are not real common," said Northwest Avalanche Institute expert Paul Baugher, an avalanche-safety instructor and ski patrol director at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort in Washington who often is called to investigate avalanche deaths. "And so there's two things going on here. One is, people are sort of unfamiliar with how dangerous this can be. Even if you're a professional, you don't have that experience of actually seeing these [avalanches] released. On top of that, it's so rare. It's wonderful skiing, and you're drawn to that."