Skiers killed in backcountry avalanche identified
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The bodies of two skiers killed in an avalanche in the Wasatch backcountry were recovered Friday morning as improved weather conditions allowed crews to access the difficult high-country terrain.
Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said search teams were able to reach the skiers after daybreak once avalanche mitigation measures were conducted. A helicopter lifted the men’s bodies down from the mountain, and they were brought to the medical examiner’s office, Sgt. Aymee Race with Unified Police said.
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Unified Police identified the skiers as 23-year-old Andrew Cameron of Utah and 32-year-old Austin Mallet of Montana. Their relatives were at the search staging area Friday morning.
“Losing loved ones suddenly is always tragic,” Rivera said, in a statement. “Our hearts are with the loved ones that Austin and Andrew left behind.”
The snowslide happened around 10 a.m. Thursday near Lone Peak, one of the tallest mountains on the Wasatch Range. A report from the Utah Avalanche Center said the skier-triggered avalanche occurred as a group of three men were ascending a slope called Big Willow Aprons at roughly 10,600 feet of elevation.
The group had switched from skiing to boot packing near the top of the slope when the snow gave way. The avalanche caught all three skiers, partially covering the one in the lead, who was able to free himself. Cameron and Mallet were fully covered in several feet of snow.
The surviving skier, whose name was not released, was able to call 911, and a rescue helicopter lifted him off the mountain Thursday afternoon. While Rivera said he was physically OK, his mental state was “not great.”
The survivor provided crucial information on locating the other skiers, but when rescue teams found them Thursday afternoon they were dead. Due to treacherous weather conditions, such as snow showers and strong winds, the effort to recover their bodies was put on pause until morning.
Craig Gordon, a forecaster for Utah Avalanche Center, told reporters Thursday that the three skiers were carrying avalanche gear and were likely seasoned backcountry riders. The three men began their day around 5 a.m. at Hidden Valley Park, from where they hiked for five hours into the snowy backcountry.
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Gordon noted that earlier this week a multi-day spring snowstorm dumped more than 30 inches of snow in the area, making the snowpack unpredictable amid the changing springtime weather. He said the deaths marked a loss to his “backcountry family.”
“Right now, our hearts and our entire community is feeling a very heavy blow,” Gordon said.
The deaths bring this winter’s tally of avalanche deaths in the U.S. to 15, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. An average of 30 people die in avalanches each year in the U.S.
Agencies that contributed to the search and recovery operation included Unified Police, Salt Lake County Search and Rescue, the Utah Department of Public Safety, Draper Fire, Sandy Fire, the U.S. Forest Service, and Wasatch Back County Rescue.
“I want to thank all those who helped us over the last two days,” Rivera said. “A very special thank you to the volunteer members of the Salt Lake County Search and Rescue Team, who perform these difficult operations because they care about our community.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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