Skier died after being caught in avalanche in Utah's Uinta mountains, sheriff says
Fourteen people have died in the Uinta mountains dating back to 1998, according to the Utah Avalanche Center's data.
A 51-year-old skier was found dead after being caught in an avalanche that occurred the day before in Utah's Uinta mountains, according to local authorities.
Summit County Sheriff deputies began searching for the skier after they received a report March 7 regarding a man not returning home as expected, the law enforcement agency said in a Facebook post. The man was believed to have been skiing alone in the backcountry area near Hoyt Peak in northeast Kamas City, the sheriff's office added.
As deputies were looking for the man, they encountered "hazardous and ineffective searching conditions," which made them temporarily suspend the search late on March 7, according to the sheriff's office. Search efforts resumed at first light the next day, the agency said.
During the initial search, deputies identified an area where an avalanche had recently happened, the sheriff's office said. At that time, it was unclear whether the missing skier may have been caught in the snowslide, according to the Facebook post.
Summit County sheriff's deputies find missing skier deceased
To combat the extremely hazardous conditions, the sheriff's office requested additional resources to assist with avalanche mitigation, the agency said. The search came to an end at 10:49 a.m. on Saturday when the skier, who hailed from Summit County, was found deceased, the sheriff's office confirmed.
"The Summit County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest condolences to the family of the victim," the sheriff's office said.
According to the Utah Avalanche Center's data, 14 people have died in the Uinta mountains dating back to 1998. Before the most recent fatality, the last death in the mountains occurred in March 2023, the data shows.
No avalanche activity in Uinta mountains since March 7
The Utah Avalanche Center said on Monday that there has been no avalanche activity reported since March 7.
"The last reported avalanche from the range was on Friday where a solo skier triggered a fatal medium-sized persistent slab avalanche and took a ride down a nasty, consequence filled avalanche path," the center said. "This avalanche was triggered in a thin, steep portion of the slope and failed up to 4' deep on a thin layer of faceted snow."
The center added that the likelihood or chances of triggering a similar avalanche are going down, but "there is still a chance and the consequences remain severe if we do."