SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, Dec. 31, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A 54-year-old man was killed in an avalanche on Tuesday, Dec. 31, according to a statement from the Utah Avalanche Center.
“He was traveling in Silver Fork, in Big Cottonwood Canyon, in the mountains east of Salt Lake City,” the news release says, adding that the incident happened in the Davenport Hill area.
“A skier from another party noticed a recent avalanche with one track in and reported it to Alta Central. A team composed of DPS, AirMed, Wasatch Backcountry Rescue, Salt Lake County Search and Rescue, UDOT, and the UAC arrived on the scene and found the deeply buried victim with an avalanche transceiver.”
The man was deceased.
“The victim was presumably caught in the avalanche on Tuesday morning, though the exact timing remains uncertain as he was traveling alone,” the Utah Avalanche Center statement says.
“This is the second avalanche fatality in Utah this winter. We will collect information and publish an accident report soon. Our condolences go out to the victim’s family and friends, as well as all those affected by this tragedy.”
The first fatal avalanche was confirmed Tuesday, after a man was reported missing on Saturday. The Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the deceased man was David Ethier, 38, from Canada.
On Saturday, “Mr. Ethier was out hiking with his dog when an avalanche swept him under the snow,” a statement from the Sheriff’s Office says.
“Sightings of his dog were reported after the incident. The dog was later recovered by a good Samaritan on Sunday, Dec. 29. This directed authorities back to Mr. Ethier. His car was found at the Porter Fork trailhead and contact with the family indicated his return was overdue.”
The search for Ethier began Sunday, and was paused by bad whether Sunday and Monday nights before his body was recovered on Tuesday.
On Friday, the the Utah Avalanche Center had issued an avalanche warning for the mountains of northern Utah, effective through Tuesday.
“The avalanche danger was rated as HIGH as a strong winter storm delivered heavy snowfall and strong winds,” the center said in a Tuesday statement.
The victim who died on Dec. 31 “was presumably caught in the avalanche on Tuesday morning though the exact timing remains uncertain as he was traveling alone…. We will collect information and publish an accident report soon.
“Our condolences go out to the victim’s family and friends, as well as all those affected by this tragedy.”
