Skier dies after Butler Basin avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon

The Butler Basin avalanche site in Big Cottonwood Canyon, where two backcountry skiers were buried after triggering a slide. One of the riders later died from injuries sustained in the avalanche, according to an update shared by Utah Avalanche Center after the accident. Photo: Utah Avalanche Center

SALT LAKE CITY, UT — A backcountry skier injured in a Feb. 21 avalanche in Butler Basin has died from injuries sustained in the slide, according to an update shared by the Utah Avalanche Center. The post said one of the riders involved in the accident “has died from injuries sustained in the avalanche” and offered condolences to the victim’s family, friends, and others affected.

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The avalanche happened Saturday, Feb. 21, in Butler Basin in Big Cottonwood Canyon, where two people were ascending when they unintentionally triggered a slide, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. Both riders were caught, carried, and fully buried. Another group witnessed the avalanche and immediately began rescue efforts, locating and digging out both victims.

The Utah Avalanche Center said one rider survived with a leg injury. The other rider was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition. The center has since updated its report to list one death in the accident.

According to the avalanche center, the slide was classified as a soft slab avalanche that failed on a persistent weak layer. It occurred on a north-facing slope at about 9,300 feet with a slope angle of 38 degrees. The crown was reported to be about 2 feet deep, 250 feet wide, and about 100 vertical feet long.

The Butler Basin accident unfolded during a dangerous avalanche cycle across Utah. TownLift reported earlier this week that the Feb. 21 Butler Basin slide left two people injured, one critically, as a string of avalanches across the state killed two people and injured several others in a matter of days.

More recently, TownLift reported that the Utah Avalanche Center warned of high avalanche danger across northern Utah mountains, advising that travel on or beneath avalanche terrain was not recommended.