Search and rescue teams ascended the 11,326-foot peak by snowmobile, on skis and in helicopters to attempt to recover Salt Lake City residents Brian Dutton and Joe Bullough, Salt Lake County sheriff's Sgt. Todd Griffiths said.

Both are 42 years old.

Because of fierce winds gusting up to 70 mph, however, rescuers had to abandon plans of extracting the men by air.

Instead, helicopters dispatched teams from the high-elevation Red Pine Lake, about a two-hour trek from the slide.

The avalanche swept down the south side of Pfeifferhorn in a 50-foot to 60-foot swath Saturday morning, seriously injuring Bullough, who was unconscious when Dutton placed an emergency call about 10:30 a.m.

Officials described Bullough's condition as critical, saying he had broken both legs and suffered torso injuries.

Dutton suffered bumps and bruises, but no major harm, Griffiths said.

While the Utah Avalanche Center listed the avalanche danger as moderate on Saturday, forecaster Craig Gordon said that windy conditions and a weak snow base made the slope susceptible to a human-triggered slide.

Gordon warned that others may follow.

"This is a weak house of cards," he said. "Once we get more snow on top of it, we're going to see a lot of avalanches."

Search and rescue teams from Salt Lake and Utah counties extracted the two skiers about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, flying them by helicopter to LDS Hospital.

The men had maintained regular contact with their rescuers by cell phone, reporting that they were cold but unburied in the middle of the slide.

Police said the two skiers had begun their ascent of the peak at about 5 a.m. from the White Pine trail head in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Their misfortune happened on the Utah County side of Pfeifferhorn.

"It is about as far away as you can get from a road," Griffiths said.

Rescuers enlisted the help of two helicopters and a professional ski patrol team known as Wasatch Backcountry Rescue to reach the men Saturday.

The Little Cottonwood Canyon avalanche is the first slide this year to cause injuries.

Although an uneventful year, Gordon warned that a snowstorm could change that.

"Once it starts to snow, watch out," he said.

jstettler@sltrib.com