Two backcountry skiers were killed and another was rescued Thursday when an avalanche occurred in the mountains outside Salt Lake City after several days of spring snowstorms, authorities said.
Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said rescue teams were dispatched to a reported avalanche near Lone Peak in the Wasatch Mountains southeast of Salt Lake City just after 10 a.m.
Rivera said one of the skiers was able to crawl out of the snow on his own and was rescued and taken to a hospital by midday.
Utah rescuers search for 2 of 3 skiers missing in avalanche
Rivera said a rescue team in a helicopter flew over the area Thursday afternoon and confirmed the two other skiers were dead. The names of the men, a 23-year-old and a 32-year-old man, have not been released, but their families have been notified, the sheriff said.
Rivera said conditions were not safe enough to recover Thursday and the crew planned to depart Friday morning, weather permitting.
A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter transports rescue workers from Hidden Valley Park on Thursday, May 9, 2024 in Sandy, Utah. One skier was rescued from an avalanche in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, but two others are missing. The landslide occurred after a spring snowstorm that lasted several days. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Rivera said he believes the man who was rescued was the man who called for help. The sheriff said officers were speaking with him at the hospital to get more information about what happened.
She said the skiers hiked into the area Thursday morning.
Lone Peak is one of the highest peaks in the Wasatch Mountains overlooking Utah’s capital city. Its steep and rugged terrain makes it a popular destination for advanced backcountry skiers, and experienced climbers can be seen scaling its sheer granite walls during the warmer months.
Craig Gordon of the Utah Avalanche Center said the landslide occurred in the Big Willow Circular Valley.
“It’s very tough terrain here. It’s steep and north facing. The crews that were there would have to be very experienced,” Gordon said.
He said about 2.5 feet of heavy, wet snow fell on the area during the past three days of storms that also brought very strong winds.
“In the spring, avalanche conditions can change in an instant,” Gordon said.
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The deaths bring the total number of avalanche deaths this winter to at least 15, lower than the average of about 30 people killed in avalanches each year in the United States. The National Avalanche Information Center had put the death toll at 13 before authorities announced Thursday’s death toll.
