BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah, Mar. 9, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A skier was found dead after apparently hitting a tree in the back country just outside the Brighton Ski Resort.
The body of 37-year-old Kyle Mortensen, of Cottonwood Heights, was found in the “well” of a tree, and was pronounced dead at the scene, Unified Police Department Sgt. Melody Cutler said.
As is routine in unattended deaths, she said, the State Medical Examiner was summoned and an autopsy will be performed.
The victim was located by a Wasatch Backcountry Rescue crew shortly after police were contacted at 4 p.m. Tuesday by family that Mortensen was overdue.
His wife provided his last GPS coordinates, which made for a fairly quick search, Cutler said. “He was exactly where GPS said he would be.”
The well of a tree is the open area just below the lowest branches of a tree where snow might not collect, creating a funnel-like opening which can be hazardous.
