FARMINGTON — The father of an 18-year-old snowmobiler who died Saturday in an avalanche near Farmington Peak thanked those who aided the rescue effort and expressed faith he would be reunited with his son someday.
Chase Adams and his dad, Ben Adams, were snowmobiling in the canyon when the avalanche triggered, according to a statement from the Davis County Sheriff’s Office.
Police first received a 911 call around 1:45 p.m. Saturday. Search and rescue teams flew to the scene in a helicopter and arrived within minutes. It took about 30 minutes to find Chase Adams and dig him out of the snow, officials said.
Though he deployed an airbag in his backpack, it did not float as it’s meant to, according to the statement.
“We spent the day at a location that is dear to me and my boys. We had a wonderful day doing what we love to do. When the snow slid, I was shocked, but I had a feeling everything was going to be OK,” Ben Adams recalled in the statement.
“I prayed, I called his mom, I called 911, and she called 911. Thank you to everyone who rides in Farmington Canyon — it is a beautiful community and family,” he said, adding that his faith gives him “strength to know that, someday, we will see each other again.”
After search and rescue crews dug Chase Adams out of the snow, he was flown to University of Utah Hospital where he later died, the sheriff’s office reported.
The dad in his statement went on to thank the bystanders who helped, search and rescuers, and first responders and hospital workers.
Avalanche danger in the Farmington area was “considerable” Saturday, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.