Two splitboarders have died in Utah avalanches since December 28, 2024.
The Utah Avalanche Center published two reports on December 31, 2024. Both detail separate slides that killed people in two different occasions in the backcountry.
The first avalanche occurred at Porter Fork Pass in the Salt Lake region’s Mill Creek Canyon on December 28, 2024. Salt Lake County Search and Rescue received a missing person report when a family member failed to arrive as expected. Search and Rescue looked for the lost person for two days, but were unable to get to higher elevation because of high avalanche risk.
“A good Samaritan found the person who appeared to have been buried in an avalanche just below Porter Fork Pass,” the report said. “The person appears to have gone into the backcountry alone on Saturday, December 28 and was caught in the avalanche some time that afternoon. SLCOSAR and Lifeflight retrieved the body on Tuesday.”
The man was a 38 years old, from Quebec, Canada. He has been identified as David Éthier by Global News Canada.
Photo: Utah Avalanche Center
Then on December 31, 2024, a solo splitboarder triggered an avalanche when dropping into Davenport Hill in the Silver Fork Drainage of Big Cottonwood Canyon. He was buried and killed, and found later by a group in the backcountry who noticed a single track into fresh avalanche debris and called Alta Central.
“Search and rescue teams from AirMed, DPS, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake Search and Rescue, Wasatch Backcountry Rescue, Alta Ski Area, and Utah Avalanche Center responded, found the individual with an avalanche transceiver and worked together to excavate the individual,” the report said. “He was buried approximately 20 feet (6m) from the surface.”
That man was 54 years old. He was carrying an avalanche transceiver, the report said.
The avalanche danger rating is high in four regions in Utah, as of January 2, 2025. Logan, Ogden, the Uintas, and Salt Lake region are all rated high, while Provo and Skyline are considered considerable.
Photo: UAC
Splitboarders and others venturing into the backcountry should always be cautious of the current avalanche risk, and make sure to check the danger rating before venturing out alone. They should always go with a partner, no matter what the risk is.
“It is never our goal to criticize someone involved in an accident, this should serve as a stark reminder to how unstable the snowpack is in the Wasatch right now, and how many resources, time, and risk to personal [safety] a backcountry winter operation in these conditions requires,” Salt Lake County Search and Rescue said in a statement.
Related: Colorado Sheriff Warns of Increased Ski and Snowboard Thefts