EXCLUSIVE: Rescuers detail experiences searching for missing skiers

Megan Brugger
·2 min read

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Searches will resume Friday for the bodies of two skiers who were killed after an avalanche Thursday in Lone Peak Summit, near Little Cottonwood Canyon.

One skier has been rescued and is in the hospital.

‘Breaks my heart’: 2 skiers dead after backcountry avalanche

The rescue team involved in today’s search spoke with ABC4.com and discussed the challenges they faced during their mission.

“We got called up for a search and rescue mission in the Lone Peak area,” Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Alan Jensen said.

It was not an easy mission.

“Today was a little bit different,” Jensen said. “We went in knowing where they were at.”

Jensen said they had the location of the one survivor, but were not able to finish their mission because of weather conditions and deteriorations on the mountain side.

Backcountry rescues are always a challenge, according to Craig Gordon, of the Utah Avalanche Center. Rescuers need to make sure they are operating as safely as possible — as even the best can get trapped if precautions are not taken.

“This was serious terrain and this was a group of very experienced, very serious, very dedicated back country skiers,” Gordon said.

Gordon said the group had all the right gear but that things went wrong — resulting in an avalanche several feet deep and a couple hundred feet wide.

“This is not just a backcountry community. This is my backcountry family. And I have spent decades giving to this community to make sure that everybody comes home at the end of the day to their family. And so this situation, of course, deeply rocks my world. And deeply breaks my heart,” Gordon said.

Rescuers are asking skiers to be careful.

“The biggest thing is know the conditions and know the terrain in your areas. Come prepared. Dress for that particular area. It’s ever-changing, especially in the back country,” Jensen said.

While the skiers killed are not identified, their ages were 32 and 23 years old. Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said one was from Utah, while the other was from out of state.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.