Update: Bodies of two skiers recovered after Lone Peak Canyon avalanche
May 9, 2024, 11:09 AM | Updated: May 10, 2024, 9:41 am
A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter lands at Hidden Valley Park in Sandy after emergency crews responded to a report of an avalanche and three missing skiers in the Little Cottonwood Canyon area on Thursday, May 9, 2024. (Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
(Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah — An avalanche in Lone Peak Canyon killed two skiers and hospitalized another on Thursday.
On Friday morning, Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera confirmed the bodies of two skiers have been found.
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The Unified Police Department said the two skiers who died were a 23-year-old man and a 32-year-old man.
According to a press release, UPD responded to a call requesting assistance in Lone Peak Canyon around 10:15 a.m. They utilized assistance from Salt Lake County Sheriff Search and Rescue, Utah Department of Public Safety, Draper Fire Department, Sandy Fire Department, U.S. Forest Service, and Wasatch Back County Rescue.
After “extensive efforts,” the search and rescue teams rescued one of the skiers. An ambulance transported the skier to a hospital around noon on Thursday.
Reporting live from the scene, KSL NewsRadio’s Aimee Cobabe said the man transported to the hospital was walking.
Search efforts were suspended around 4:00 p.m. After efforts were resumed on Friday morning, the other two skiers were found.
“This is a tragedy, and our hearts are with the families and outdoor community that these individuals were actively engaged in,” Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said in the press release. “These were experienced skiers and reports indicate they were well prepared for the journey they set out on today.”
She said this should serve as a reminder that mother nature is unpredictable, and everyone should be mindful of the “dangers of the late snowpack and spring runoff,”
