BRIGHTON, Utah — An 11-year-old girl was killed Thursday after getting caught in an avalanche while backcountry skiing with her family near the Brighton Ski Resort.
The victim's name is Madelyn Eitas, 11, from Rochester, Massachusetts.
The Brighton Ski Patrol and Wasatch Backcountry Rescue responded to the avalanche scene just after 12:45 p.m.
According to officials, the Etias and her family went into an out-of-bounds area known as The Rock Garden when she was taken up along the slide path. It's not known if the family had used Brighton lifts to access the area where they were skiing.
Search and rescue crews located the Eitas after she had reportedly been buried in snow for up to 30 minutes, and immediately provided first aid before she was transported by ambulance to the hospital in critical condition. A Life Flight helicopter was dispatched, but was forced to turn around due to heavy winds and a lack of a safe landing zone.
Unified Police said Eitas later died of her injuries.
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“It’s a very, very solemn and depressing thing to notify people of. It’s very difficult. It’s very difficult being to think of the idea behind a family being together and having something so tragic happen," said Unified Police Det. Quin Wilkins.
The deadly avalanche came the day after Brighton and other Cottonwood canyons resorts were forced to close early due to the massive snow totals on Wednesday. The closure decisions were made with guest safety in mind, the resorts said.
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On Wednesday, a father was killed after being buried by an avalanche while he was snowmobiling with his son in Wasatch County.
A seasoned rider who’s made Brighton his home mountain for more than 25 years, West Jordan resident Chris Jensen says he took off work to take advantage of the powder.
“Obviously we haven’t had any snow for a long while,” he said. “So with this big storm, you see it in the parking lot - there’s a lot of people here.”
“Coming in, my first view was Milly, and I was trying to figure out off Milly if [the gates were] open or closed,” Jensen said. "Because from Milly coming to my left is called ‘The Rock Garden’. That’s a beautiful place for some good old tree lines and some little cliffs.”
Jensen says it was closed when he checked. But he later discovered that was the scene of a tragedy.
Unified Police Department Detective Quin Wilkins said it was around 12:45 that calls came in, a group of three skiers made their way into that area.
“Upon arrival, there was a confirmed avalanche, at which point multiple agencies responded out,” said Wilkins. “Where it was outside of the clear and corded area for the safe operation of skiing."
They triggered an avalanche that buried an 11-year-old girl. She was buried for as long as 30 minutes before being rushed to a hospital, but the girl didn’t survive.
“It’s a very, very solemn and depressing thing to notify people of,” said Wilkins.
Learning that the three were family, Jensen connected deeply with this story. He gets off into those backcountry areas and sometimes brings family along too.
“People are grieving right now - while this whole parking lot is here, enjoying what they came out to do,” Jensen said.
So as they share in that grief, they’re urging skiers, snowboarders and anyone who ventures in the backcountry to be cautious and carry the proper equipment.
