MILLCREEK CANYON, Utah, Jan. 22, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Police have confirmed 49-year-old Douglas Green, from Sugar House, is dead after he was trapped in an avalanche between Big Cottonwood Canyon and Millcreek Canyons Thursday.
Tyson Bradley, 50, was partially buried but is said to be in good condition.
Sgt. Paul Barker of the Unified Police Department Canyon Patrol said the avalanche occurred near Gobblers Knob, which is between the two canyons, at around 2:40 p.m.
Barker said the initial report was of an avalanche with CPR being performed on the victim by at least one other skier in his group. Officers were able to find the party’s GPS coordinate when witnesses called 911.
Barker said LifeFlight was dispatched, and was able to land at the scene and assist with treating the victim. LifeFlight then transported both men to Intermountain Medical Center, and officers and detectives will carry out an investigation from that location.
The rest of the group skied out and an officer is talking to them about what occurred and how big the avalanche was.
Barker said there was a language barrier with the group.
Ryan Lauck, who was in the area skiing on an adjacent slope, said they knew the avalanche report was considerable to high and knew the south facing slopes were getting warm, making for dangerous conditions.
“It was pretty clear it would be a bad idea to ski that slope,” Lauck said. “The main thing being that it warmed up quite a bit today, and that indicates there could be a lot of slides.”
Lauck said when they reached the top of the ridge they could see the avalanche.
“We could see it from top to bottom. We could see whoever had fallen was taken for a 1,000-foot ride. It was a big avalanche, between 100 and 150 feet wide, took out an entire gully. We could hear the chopper start up and could see the search party down below.
“I feel bad for their families but this is a healthy reminder you are taking a risk. There are still places you can ski when conditions are like this, you just have to know your terrain.”
Avalanche forecasters will go to the site Thursday evening or Friday morning to determine the size of the scene.
