Avalanche victim identified as long-time Park City resident
Jan 31, 2021, 3:43 PM
Kurt Damschroder died in an avalanche in the Park City backcountry on Saturday, Jan. 30. Photo courtesy of his family.
SALT LAKE CITY — An avalanche victim who died Saturday in Park City, Utah’s, backcountry area known as Square Top has been identified.
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office says Kurt Damschroder, age 57, of Park City, Utah, was swept up in an avalanche on Saturday that was located outside Park City resort boundaries near Park City Mountain Canyons Village.
Officials say the avalanche was caused by skiers, and that one of the skiers was Damschroder.
After the slide, Damschroder’s friend reportedly called for help and then located the victim with an avalanche beacon. The friend attempted lifesaving efforts for more than an hour, officials say, but the victim could not be revived.
Officials were not able to reach the victim until Sunday morning, after completing avalanche mitigation work in the area of the slide.
Photo of Square Top, the area of Park City Mountain Resort backcountry where an avalanche killed 57-year-old Kurt Damschroder of Park City. Photo credit: Summit County Sheriff’s Office
Kurt Damschroder was a long-time resident of Park City and is described by his family as someone who loved to spend his time outdoors.
The Utah Avalanche Center offers avalanche forecasts which can be viewed on their website here.
The map seen below shows areas along the Wasatch Front that were ranked as having “considerate” or “high” avalanche danger on Sunday, January 31, 2021.
Areas of considerable (orange) and high (red) avalanche risk as determined by the Utah Avalanche Center for Sunday, January 31, 2021. Photo: screen grab Utah Avalanche Center
