Details and photos released on fatal Big Cottonwood Canyon avalanche
Jan 1, 2025, 9:00 PM
Rescuers start the excavation process after an avalanche killed a man who was split boarding alone in Big Cottonwood Canyon on Tuesday. (Utah Avalanche Center)
(Utah Avalanche Center)
SALT LAKE CITY — A split boarder was killed in an avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon that Utah Avalanche Center experts believe he triggered while traveling alone on Tuesday.
The avalanche was reported to have happened about noon in Little Cottonwood Canyon, in the Davenport Hill area near the town of Alta, according to Chris Bronson, spokesman for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It was considered a “large” avalanche, and sheriff’s deputy Arlan Bennett confirmed one person was killed in the slide.
The Utah Avalanche Center later issued a statement saying the person who died was a 54-year-old man who was split-boarding solo when he dropped into north-facing Davenport Hill. He then unintentionally triggered an avalanche in the Silver Fork area in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
The man was fully buried and killed by the slide, according to the statement. His body was found buried about 20 feet below the surface.
“Our condolences go out to the victim’s family and friends, as well as those affected by this tragedy,” the statement says.
A skier from another party recreating in Little Cottonwood Canyon to the south noticed a “single track into fresh avalanche debris” and reported it to Alta Central, the avalanche center said. Rescue crews searched the area and found the “deeply buried” man with an avalanche transceiver.
The man’s identity had not been released as of Wednesday afternoon.
Forecasters with the avalanche center traveled to the site of the accident a few days previously and reported that the only red flag for avalanches not present was additional weight, which could be added by the weight of a rider or more snow. They noted multiple areas of shallow wind-drifted snow.
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