The man who died in Thursday morning's avalanche in Rich County has been identified.
Killed was: Kyle Douglas Swayngim, 27, Farr West.
His death, the eighth this season, continues to mark 2004-05 as the deadliest snow season since records began being kept in the 1950s.
The yearly fatal avalanche average is 3.5 victims, said Bruce Tremper, director of the U.S. Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center.
Swayngim was snowmobiling on Whiskey Hill, a popular destination about 20 miles west of Woodruff, when he was caught in an avalanche.
Swayngim was wearing a beacon, and friends told rescuers they located him and dug him out of the snow within seven minutes. They tried to revive him without success.
Swayngim's wife, Jennifer, 28, commended her husband's friends for being prepared and knowing what to do on what was probably one of the worst days of her life. They did everything possible, she said.
The snowmobilers followed the correct procedure for going down a steep hill, she said. They went one at a time.
Kyle Swayngim just offered to go first.
His wife wasn't there, but she has been in the past. She said the area is one she has felt comfortable riding in. The Swayngims loved to ride snowmobiles and to do other outdoor activities. She remembers her husband as someone always surrounded by friends.
The Swayngims met at work six years ago. They both worked for aerospace company Parker Hannifin, where Kyle was a machinist. They married in 2001, Jennifer said. The couple didn't have children yet, but they had two dogs, a Chihuahua named Buddy and a boxer named Zeus.
Kyle, who grew up in Ogden, was the fourth of five children.
A viewing is scheduled Monday at Myers Mortuary, located at 845 Washington Blvd. in Ogden. Funeral services will be Tuesday.
Avalanche forecasters still expect moderate to considerable avalanche danger this weekend, especially as temperatures rise and snow begins to melt.
By late morning, people should be off steep and sun-exposed slopes.
Officials reported a number of human-triggered avalanches in the backcountry near Brighton, Dutch Draw and Cardiff. For this weekend, temperatures will hover in the 60s during the day and drop to the low 40s or high 30s at night.
Meteorologists expect rain and show showers to hit Monday and Monday night.
E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com