SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah, Jan. 11, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials have identified a Clinton man who died when he was caught in a backcountry avalanche in Summit County Friday.
The deceased man is 31-year-old Kevin Jack Steuterman, said a tweet from Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
“Our hearts break for the Steuterman family and friends,” the tweet said. “Hug your loved ones often and tell them you love them.”
According to reports, the avalanche was triggered just after 10 a.m. in Dutch Draw area off of Silver Peak.
An update from the Utah Avalanche Center Monday morning said Steuterman was riding with a skier, and neither of them was carrying any avalanche rescue gear.
“The pair was riding in the Canyons Village area of the Park City Mountain Resort, where they took four chair lift rides, ultimately bringing them to the top of the 9990 chairlift around 9:40 a.m.,” the statement said.
“They hiked a short distance to access the Dutch Draw area at the top of the chairlift via the backcountry exit gate. From this gate, they left the ski area boundary, entered into the backcountry, and followed a ridgeline to the top of Silver Peak.”
At the top of the Silver Peak, the rider began his descent of a slope called Conehead. When the snowboarder was midway down the slope, the skier started her descent, the statement said. After making two turns, the avalanche broke at her feet, and the snowboarder was still midway down the slope where he was caught, carried and buried. The skier was not caught in the avalanche.
“Other avalanches along the Park City Ridgeline in the last week have been triggered remotely from ridegtops while others have been triggered by people low on slopes,” the statement added. “It cannot be determined how this avalanche was triggered. It is likely that this avalanche was triggered by at least one of the two people on the slope, or possibly by both.”
A link to the full accident report can be found here.
