Avalanche — Wasatch Mountains South of I-80, Utah

2012-01-28 · Wasatch Mountains South of I-80, Utah

Event narrative

Three men, a skier and two split-boarders, went up Big Cottonwood Canyon on the morning of January 28th. They eventually reached Kessler Peak, and began to descend the west face, with one of the split-boarders in the lead. The man in the lead triggered a hard slab avalanche, which averaged 3 feet deep and nearly 1,000 feet wide. The avalanche ran 2,500 feet vertically. The man was buried in the avalanche, and the other two friends, who were above the avalanche path, began attempts to locate him. They eventually found him and dug him out, but he died on the scene.

Wider weather episode

A large avalanche was triggered in the backcountry near Big Cottonwood Canyon, resulting in one fatality.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 362794. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.