Missing Canada man found dead after hiking in Millcreek Canyon
Dec 31, 2024, 3:51 PM | Updated: Jan 1, 2025, 6:37 pm
After a man was reported missing in Millcreek Canyon, search and rescue crews were deployed in the snow on Dec. 29, 2024. (Meghan Thackery, KSL TV)
(Meghan Thackery, KSL TV)
MILLCREEK — After a snowboarder had been missing for days in Millcreek Canyon, search and rescue crews finally confirmed Tuesday his body had been recovered from the mountain.
The snowboarder was identified as 38-year-old David Ethier of Canada.
The Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the Canadian snowboarder was out with his dog in the Porter Fork area of Millcreek Canyon when he got caught in an avalanche. The only reason responders knew to look for him was because a good Samaritan found the dog alone on Sunday.
Crews began looking for Ethier immediately. However, the conditions were so dangerous that crews had to perform additional avalanche control Tuesday morning to even reach his body. A statement from Salt Lake County Search and Rescue said a UDOT avalanche control team triggered “several additional avalanches at the accident site.”
Search and rescue teamed up with the Intermountain LifeFlight helicopter to recover him.
“It was at least over two and a half miles off the main trailhead itself, with the weather conditions you saw from yesterday, it was brutal back there,” said Deputy Arlan Bennet with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Crews who went to recover him had to dig his body out from the snow. They did say he had an avalanche beacon with him at the time. The Utah Avalanche Center is crediting a good Samaritan as the one who found his body Monday night.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy,” said Sheriff Rosie Rivera. “Our hearts go out to the family as they grieve the loss of their loved one.”
“While it is never our goal to criticize someone involved in an accident, this should serve as a stark reminder to how unstable the snowpack is in the Wasatch right now,” Salt Lake County SAR said. “We have had two avalanche deaths in the last three days. Both patients were traveling solo, in high-hazard terrain. Now is the time to stick to low-angle terrain, read the avalanche forecast, have a partner, tell someone where you are going and when you will be back, and bring rescue gear.”
Contributing: Jacob Freeman, KSL TV
