Two skiers found dead, one rescued after backcountry avalanche

SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah – Two skiers were found dead and one was rescued after an avalanche Thursday in the Lone Peak Summit area near Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Although the killed skiers could not be identified by age, their ages were 32 and 23. Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said one was from Utah and the other was from another state.

The skiers’ bodies still lie on the mountain and officials hope to recover them when conditions improve on Friday. Rivera said it took the men five hours to reach the location where they were discovered, showing they were far away.

The rescued skier, one of three men originally missing, was taken to hospital after he managed to dig himself out of the snow and be lifted off the mountain by helicopter. A video showed him limping towards an ambulance after being rescued and being transported in good condition.

Video captured by FOX 13 News shows rescued skier being taken to the parking lot by helicopter

Helicopter brings personal video

According to Craig Gordon of the Utah Avalanche Center, the person rescued said the entire group were very experienced backcountry skiers who were properly equipped.

The area is popular with those seeking recreation in the Little Cottonwood Canyon area, officials told FOX 13 News.

Gordon said the area was extremely challenging and called the avalanche “unusual” for this time of year.

“This is very serious terrain, it is steep and north facing,” he explained. “The crew that was up there had to be experienced. This is not the kind of zone you would just stumble upon.”

Gordon explained that the group had the proper equipment, but something went wrong, resulting in an avalanche several feet deep and a few hundred feet wide.

“My heart is very heavy for this group that loves the snow and the mountains as much as I do,” Gordon said, “and are now struggling with something that is so emotionally insurmountable.”

The Unified Fire Authority, backcountry search and rescue teams, Sandy officials and Draper Fire teams are all assisting in the response.

The avalanche follows a late-season storm that brought several feet of thick, dense snow to the mountains of Utah.

“Over the last three days there has been over 30 inches of snow and over three inches of water in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon,” Gordon said, adding that the storm was a “game changer” and the avalanche danger in the backcountry is “definitely elevated.”

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