Skier killed in Summit County backcountry avalanche identified

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah – A backcountry skier was killed in an avalanche near Hoyt Peak, northeast of Kamas in the Uinta Mountains, according to the Utah Avalanche Center and local authorities.

The victim, identified as 51-year-old Michael Janulaitis of Marion, Utah, was reported missing around 5 p.m. on March 7 after failing to return home from a backcountry ski as expected.

Search efforts were suspended Friday night due to bad weather and hazardous conditions and resumed at first light on March 8. After identifying a recent avalanche site, additional resources were brought in for avalanche mitigation to ensure searchers could operate safely.

Janulaitis, who was traveling alone, used a snowbike to access the terrain but was caught, carried, and killed in an avalanche while skiing a steep, northeast-facing run in Hoyt Bowl.

According to the Utah Avalanche Center, the slide occurred on a 43 degree, Northeast
-facing slope at approximately 10,200 feet in elevation. The avalanche measured 150 feet wide, with a crown depth of 3.5 feet, and ran roughly 1,000 vertical feet.

The search and recovery operation involved the Summit County Sheriffs Office, Utah Department of Public Safety, Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Village snow safety teams, ski patrol, and Wasatch Backcountry Rescue.

The Utah Avalanche Center shared that Janulaitis was a close friend of the organization, calling his death a “tremendous loss for our backcountry family and we will miss him deeply.”

Full Incident Report