Snowboarder Killed in Park City Backcountry Avalanche.

UPDATE 1/11/21 9:00 a.m. – The victim has been identified as 31-year-old, Kevin Jack Steuterman of Clinton, Utah.

PARK CITY, Utah. – An avalanche earlier today in the High Dutch Draw area claimed the life of a 31-year-old man from Clinton, Utah. The Summit County Sheriffs office released the following statement at 4:00pm confirming the tragic incident:

At 10:09am Summit County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an avalanche that occurred in the backcountry, in an area known as Dutch Draw. This area is located outside resort boundaries near Park City Mountain Canyons Village. The caller said she witnessed her boyfriend, a 31-year-old male from Clinton, Utah, attempt to snowboard down the steep backcountry terrain. The man triggered an avalanche – unfortunately, he was caught in the avalanche.

Many resources were deployed for the rescue. Summit County Search & Rescue, Park City Mountain Ski Patrol, Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter, Park City Fire District, and University of Utah AirMed assisted in the rescue and recovery. With the assistance of DPS helicopter, avalanche control measures took place to make it safer for rescue personnel to get into the area. Rescue personnel were transported by snow machines into the area of the avalanche.

At 2:29pm rescuers, with the help of a Park City Mountain Ski Patrol avalanche dog, located the male at the toe of the avalanche, approximately two feet below the surface. The avalanche was estimated to be 50 feet wide with a 200-foot vertical drop.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office offers our sincere condolences to the family, girlfriend, and friends of the decedent. The name of the male will not be released until family members have received proper notification of his passing. We appreciate the help of so many volunteers, professionals, and agencies who worked diligently to find the male.

The Utah Avalanche Center issued a considerable avalanche danger rating for today on steep slopes at the mid and upper elevations facing west, through north, and east where recent storm snow and winds have created a dense slab of snow on top of a buried persistent weak layer.

Avalanches may be 2′-3′ deep and over 200′ wide. These are dangerous avalanche conditions – anyone in the backcountry should avoid being on, underneath, or adjacent to steep slopes on these aspects and elevations. A moderate danger exists for triggering a lingering wind drift at the upper elevations.