Avalanche — Wasatch Mountains South Of I-80, Utah
April 11, 2013 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
This particular avalanche fatality attracted attention because the victim, a 34-year-old male, was employed by the Utah Department of Transportation to forecast and control avalanche conditions. The victim was on duty, doing fieldwork alone on Kessler Peak (in Big Cottonwood Canyon), when he apparently ventured just a foot or two off of the safer snow. This triggered a small avalanche, but one that traveled through many sparse trees and over a couple cliffs. When he did not report in later that day, the search for him began; he was eventually found on top of the snow near the bottom of the avalanche, but he had already passed away from his injuries.
Other notable avalanche events in Utah
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.