SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah — One person was killed and another injured in an avalanche they triggered in Big Cottonwood Canyon on Saturday, continuing what has been a deadly and dangerous week on the Utah ski slopes.
The men were backcountry skiing in the Butler Basin area near the Donut Falls trailhead when the avalanche occurred. After the men were buried, another group got them out of the slide and called for medical help.
Both men were transported to the hospital. A 57-year-old man listed in critical condition later died at the hospital, while a 48-year-old man is currently in serious condition.
Unified Fire Authority said the crititcal patient was hoisted from the scene by a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter. A LifeFlight medical helicopter then transported rescue personnel to the second victim to treat him and lift him out.
The incident comes days after two people were killed in separate avalanches in northern Utah this week. A father snowmobiling with his son was killed after being buried in an avalanche in Wasatch County on Wednesday.
On Thursday, an 11-year-old girl died after she was caught in a slide near the Brighton Resort while backcountry skiing with her family.
Skiers warned to stay away from backcountry this weekend after fatal avalanches:
Officials have warned skiers for days about the particularly dangerous avalanche conditions they'll face this weekend in the backcountry due to the fresh snow that has fallen over the last several days.
"From what I heard, in the last four or five days, we’ve had over 50 avalanches,” Unified Fire Authority Battalion Chief Riley Pilgrim said. “While we were up here, we had four other calls of the similar nature. Luckily not as similar severity."
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