SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah — Two skiers were 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 an area near the Butler Fork trailhead when the avalanche occurred around 10 a.m. After the men were buried, another group of skiers got them out of the slide and called for medical help.
Both men were transported to the hospital. A 57-year-old man was transported in critical condition. The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office incorrectly reported that he had died; they later issued a correction that he was still in critical condition as of Saturday afternoon.
He was identified in a GoFundMe campaign, set up by a close friend, as Riverton resident Kevin Williams.
The other skier, a 48-year-old man, was listed in serious condition.
Unified Fire Authority said the critical patient was first hoisted from the scene by a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter, where he was loaded into an awaiting LifeFlight medical helicopter and transported to the hospital. Another LifeFlight helicopter transported rescue personnel to the second victim to treat him, and he was then picked up by the DPS chopper. Video from witnesses showed the second victim sitting upright, appearing awake and alert as he was loaded into a ground ambulance.
Salt Lake County
Second avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon injures backcountry skier
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,” UFA Battalion Chief Riley Pilgrim said. “While we were up here, we had four other calls of a similar nature. Luckily, not as similar severity."
Stay with fox13now.com and FOX 13 News for the latest on this breaking news story.
