A 45-year-old snowboarder was killed Sunday in an avalanche he unintentionally triggered near Salt Lake City, Utah, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.
The man, from Salt Lake City, was part of the way down the Dutch Draw slope in Park City when he triggered and was caught in the avalanche, the avalanche center reported. He was buried in the 3-foot-deep, 100-foot-wide pile of snow.
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday afternoon that the snowboarder had been dug out and lifesaving efforts were underway. But later, the office announced the man had died.
The avalanche did not occur in the confines of the nearby Park City Ski Resort, according to the sheriff's office.
Officials with the Utah Avalanche Center plan to investigate the scene Monday morning.
The Conehead area of Dutch Draw, where the avalanche was triggered, is steep, rocky and avalanche-prone, the avalanche center said. A person was killed in an avalanche there in 2012.
A winter storm, which dropped snow and freezing rain, caused havoc in the middle section of the country Sunday. At least nine people were killed in traffic accidents that may have been weather-related.
