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Details pretty mum at the moment, but early word that one burial and the guy died. Was supposedly buried for 40mins. Again, *supposedly* a group of 4 or 5 and not a single beacon in the group. Vibes to his friends/family.
Victim died :(
Park City • A man Thursday died after being buried in an avalanche near the Canyons ski resort, according to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
A witness reported the slide about 3 p.m. after watching it carry away one person who was outside of the resort boundaries, near the peak known as Ninety-Nine 90, said sheriff’s spokesman Ron Bridge.
The man was swept into Dutch Draw, a basin to the southeast of the resort.
He was buried about one hour when rescuers found him just after 4 p.m.
He was flown in "extremely critical condition" to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Searchers do not yet believe others were caught in the slide, Bridge said. "It’s looking like this one was the only one that was there," he said
The Dutch Draw area is "hugely popular for out-of-bounds skiing and snowboarding," said Craig Gordon, forecaster for the Utah Avalanche Center. The avalanche-prone terrain is currently under a warning of high danger, meaning that human-triggered avalanches are likely.
In January 2005, Idaho snowboarder Shane Maixner rode the Ninety-Nine 90 Express lift, then crossed through a resort gate before dropping into Dutch Draw and being buried in a massive avalanche that took his life.
On New Year’s Day, an avalanche was reported there, according to Utah Avalanche Center data.
"The winds were cranking all day," the witness wrote. "The slope fractured around me. I was able to reach [an] island of trees and let the slide run."
After a slide nearly missed skiers in 2009, the center reported that "There have been several close calls in this area."
The Tribune will report further details as they become available.
