Pikes Peak Region Trail Finder

By LYNN DeBRUIN, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Officials say early-season snow has created prime avalanche conditions in many parts of the West, with one death already reported and another skier injured over the weekend in Utah.

In Colorado, officials say 50 slides have been reported but estimate the actual number could be 10 times higher. The Utah Avalanche Center has recorded 18 human-triggered slides this month.

National statistics show 25 people on average have died annually in avalanches during the past decade.

Officials say most deaths occur in the backcountry, not within the boundaries of ski resorts. They say since 1950, only 32 of the approximate 900 avalanche fatalities have occurred on in-boundary resort properties that were open.

The season's first avalanche fatality occurred Nov. 13 within Utah's Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, but it wasn't yet open.