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A series of avalanches and a high risk for more led to the closure of ski resorts and roads to start the week as another winter storm swept across the Wasatch Front.

An avalanche on Monday afternoon that trapped a Powder Mountain ski resort employee in his vehicle closed the road to the resort and blocked efforts to get employees out, possibly until Tuesday morning. Powder Mountain announced Monday night that it wouldn't open Tuesday, because of the avalanches.

The employee was still trapped in snow debris as of 4 p.m., said Sara Wayman, group sales manager at Powder Mountain, adding the employee has been in touch with the resort and was unharmed.

State Road 158 had earlier been closed due to severe weather, and skiers at the resort were escorted out, Utah Department of Transportation said.

"If they're at the resort they're stuck at the resort until that avalanche is open," UDOT spokesman Vic Saunders said.

Wayman said visitors started leaving the resort after UDOT and Powder's avalanche experts deemed travel was unsafe at around 1 p.m. She said about 12 employees were left at the resort as of Tuesday evening, and were hunkering down to spend the night at the mountain.

It was just one of several road closures prompted by heavy snowfall that was causing headaches for ski resorts and road maintenance crews.

In Little Cottonwood Canyon, east of Salt Lake City, about 40 avalanches were recorded due to avalanche control work. Seven of the slides crossed the road, the UDOT said. The canyon was not expected to be cleared until sometime Tuesday morning.

US 89 through Logan Canyon also was closed Monday due to hazardous weather, likely until Tuesday, Saunders said.

State transportation officials also closed US 89 southbound in South Weber after heavy snowfall and slick roads led to dangerous driving conditions.

"What happens is trucks start going up a hill southbound and they lose their traction and they start sliding around and block all the traffic behind them," Saunders said.

Two reported snowslides also shut down the North Ogden Canyon Road on Monday, and the Weber County Sheriff's Office said that stretch of road between North Ogden and the town of Liberty likely would remain closed until Wednesday.

The storm, which dumped more than a foot in the higher elevations and about half-a-foot in some valley locales, also closed down State Road 143 between Brian Head and Mammoth Creek.

Transportation officials also closed US-89/91 in both directions through Sardine Canyon between Brigham City and Wellsville, and UDOT didn't expect to clear the road before Tuesday afternoon. Motorists were advised to use State Road 30 via Beaver Dam.

The Utah Avalanche Center rated almost all of the state's mountain zones as being at "high" risk Monday for potentially deadly backcountry snowslides as well.

Forest Service officials warned that heavy, dense snowfall combined with strong winds — reported at 50 mph in places — had created widespread areas of unstable snow, especially along slopes of 30 degrees or steeper.

Twitter: @TaylorWAnderson