Terrifying footage of a skier caught, carried and partially buried in Utah backcountry avalanche

A skier in Davis Gulch triggered a 2-4'+ deep hard slab avalanche that failed on the December PWL of weak faceted snow. The skier was caught and carried but ok. Photo: Utah Avalanche Center // Steve Gourley

One skier was caught, carried, and partially buried by a 2-4 foot deep, hard slab avalanche that spanned 500 feet wide and 2,000 feet long

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — On Sunday, Jan. 28, three skiers approached Gobbler’s South Summit from the north. After reaching the summit and skiing down, one skier was caught, carried and partially buried by a 2-4 foot deep, hard slab avalanche that spanned 500 feet wide and 2,000 feet long. The skier involved in the avalanche is reported to be in okay condition following the incident. The involved party shared the following report and footage of the incident with the Utah Avalanche Center.

Skier 1 skied the ridge to the west of davis gulch and radioed when they were in a good spot. Skier 2 entered davis gulch and skied 400 vert pulling out of the run to the north/east. Skier 3 watched skier 2 pull up and entered following the same line. 200 vert into the run, skier 3 caused a hard slab avalanche that shattered 50 meters below and over to the ridge west of davis gulch. Skier 2 shouted at skier 3 and then to skier 1. Skier 1 moved to a safer area. Skier 2 kept eyes on skier 3 and started to ski down the slope. Skier 3 was carried 650 vert reaching a speed of 27mph, losing a pole and needing to dig out one ski to be free from the debris. After the initial avalanche, the entire west side of the gulch sympathetically released. The final debris pile was way down around 7800 feet.

Video Credit: Steve Gourley

The Utah Avalanche Center shared that Davis Gulch was named after Alan Davis, who was killed on this same slope in mid-Feb., 2003.