Bodies of two backcountry skiers buried by Utah avalanche recovered from mountain, names released

Amy Beth Hanson and Rick Bowmer, Associated Press

SANDY, Utah (AP) — Search crews connected Friday recovered nan bodies of 2 backcountry skiers who were swept distant and buried by an avalanche successful nan mountains extracurricular Salt Lake City a time earlier, officials said.

The men — 23-year-old Andrew Cameron of Utah and 32-year-old Austin Mallet of Montana — were killed successful nan snowslide Thursday greeting successful nan area of Lone Peak successful nan Wasatch Range southeast of nan city. Officials declined to merchandise their hometowns.

Search teams uncovered nan men’s bodies Friday morning, Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said. The bodies were brought disconnected nan upland via chopper and taken to nan aesculapian examiner’s office, Sgt. Aymee Race pinch nan Unified Police Salt Lake City said.

Storms connected Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday brought up to 3 feet (one meter) of heavy, bedewed snowfall and beardown winds to nan area.

“And that instantly ramped up nan avalanche danger,” said Craig Gordon, an avalanche forecaster pinch nan U.S. Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center.

“The different facet that analyzable upwind and snowfall conditions is that it’s outpouring and upwind patterns and upwind systems tin alteration very quickly successful nan mountains,” he said. A time could commencement disconnected sunny and clear earlier giving measurement to clouds aliases snowfall aliases beardown winds.

“And each of these factors tin power nan move quality of nan snowpack and tin escalate nan avalanche danger,” Gordon said Friday.

The 3 men were climbing up a ridge connected a slope called Big Willow Aprons and were adjacent nan apical erstwhile nan descent was unintentionally triggered, nan avalanche halfway said successful its preliminary report.

The first climber was carried downhill connected nan correct broadside of nan ridge and partially buried. He was capable to excavation himself out, telephone for thief and was rescued by midday Thursday. Race said they would not beryllium releasing his name.

Cameron and Mallet were swept distant connected nan near broadside of nan ridge and buried, nan halfway said. Weather and snowfall conditions prevented their betterment connected Thursday.

“We cognize that’s difficult connected nan families erstwhile you person to time off personification up there,” said Alan Bergstrom, 1 of 8 rescuers who recovered nan bodies.

Family members of nan 2 victims were astatine nan hunt staging area adjacent Sandy connected Thursday and Friday, Rivera said.

“There are situations specified arsenic coming wherever we whitethorn cognize nan group that are connected nan mountain,” making nan betterment effort difficult for searchers arsenic well, said Bergstrom, a squad leader pinch nan Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team.

Crews “were capable to excavation beautiful quickly and get ’em retired and get backmost connected nan helicopters,” Bergstrom said. “But arsenic we were finishing up, nan winds were picking up and nan chopper was starting to person a small spot of problem judging nan landing spot.”

The 3 men, who were friends, didn’t scheme to skis down nan look wherever nan avalanche occurred, but they planned to skis successful respective different locations connected Thursday, Gordon said.

The snowfall collapsed astir 2 feet (61 centimeters) heavy and 250 feet (76 meters) crossed and slid down astir 500 feet (152 meters), nan avalanche halfway said.

The area wherever nan avalanche occurred, Lone Peak, is 1 of nan highest peaks successful nan Wasatch Range towering complete Utah’s superior city. Its steep, rugged terrain makes it a celebrated destination for precocious backcountry skiers, while knowledgeable climbers standard its sheer granite walls successful nan warmer months.

“This is very superior terrain. It’s steep. It’s north-facing. The unit that was up location would person to beryllium experienced,” Gordon said Thursday.

Rivera confirmed nan men were knowledgeable skiers.

The fatalities bring this winter’s tally of avalanche deaths successful nan U.S. to 15, according to nan Utah Avalanche Information Center. An mean of 30 group dice successful avalanches each twelvemonth successful nan U.S.

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Hanson reported from Helena, Montana.