BRIGHTON, Utah — Although an 11-year-old girl killed in an avalanche while skiing with her family was technically in a "backcountry" area, a new report shows how close the group was to being in-bounds at the Brighton Ski Resort.
The Utah Avalanche Center's report on the death of Madelyn Eitas was released Saturday, a little over a week after the February 19 incident.
According to the report, Madelyn, along with her father and a sibling, had likely rode up the Crest Express ski lift at the resort when they went northwest into an out-of-bounds area, past a sign saying “No avalanche control work beyond this point."
With Madelyn in front of her father and sibling along the apron above Rock Garden towards Mary Main Bowl, an avalanche broke above the group, catching the girl and carrying her 200 feet.
Child killed after getting caught in avalanche while skiing with family:
The family had no avalanche rescue equipment, according to the report, and other skiers immediately called the Brighton Ski Patrol and 911. Upon arriving at the scene, the ski patrol found Madelyn had been fully buried four feet under the surface of the snow for approximately 17 minutes.
The Brighton Ski Patrol performed CPR on Madelyn for nearly 30 minutes, and although a rescue helicopter was called in, it was unable to land due to poor weather conditions. Madelyn was eventually transported by ambulance to a local hospital, where she later died.
In its report, the Utah Avalanche Center said the area where the family exited the boundary was marked by a ropeline, adding that it is "unknown whether the family reviewed the avalanche forecast before exiting the ski area boundary."
Despite being feet away from in-bounds at the resort, the avalanche center said vastly different dangers exist whenever skiers cross into backcountry areas.
"Very different avalanche conditions often exist just feet away from the boundary, despite its proximity to a ski area," the center wrote. "As a whole, not all in-bounds patrons are aware of what the backcountry is, nor the hazards that come with backcountry travel."
Eitas was the second of four avalanche deaths reported in Utah over the last two weeks.
