Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PARK CITY — Summit County officials say a 31-year-old Clinton man died Friday after being buried in an avalanche on backcountry slopes near Park City.
He was identified Monday as Kevin Jack Steuterman, Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez said in a tweet.
"Our hearts break for the Steuterman family and friends," Martinez said.
According to a news release from Summit County Sheriff's Lt. Andrew Wright, authorities received word about the avalanche in the Dutch Draw area about 10:09 a.m. The caller said she saw her boyfriend try to snowboard down steep backcountry terrain when the avalanche began and caught him up.
"Many resources" were deployed, the release says, including Summit County Search and Rescue, Park City Mountain Ski Patrol, the Park City Fire District, and air support from the Utah Department of Public Safety and University of Utah AirMed. Officials worked to stabilize the area before rescue personnel were transported in by snow machines.
With the help of an avalanche dog, rescuers located the man buried about 2 feet below the surface at the toe of the avalanche just before 2:30 p.m. "The avalanche was estimated to be 50 feet wide with a 200-foot vertical drop," the release says.
"The Summit County Sheriff's Office offers our sincere condolences to the family, girlfriend, and friends of the decedent," Wright wrote. "... We appreciate the help of so many volunteers, professionals, and agencies who worked diligently to find the male."
Avalanche Update - teams are working to make the area safe so they can begin search efforts. Based on firsthand witness information, we believe one adult male has been buried in the avalanche. The avalanche occurred in the Dutch Draw area of the backcountry. pic.twitter.com/QvG52BBZTj
— Sheriff Justin (@SummitCountySO) January 8, 2021
Dutch Draw is a common location for avalanches, Wright said earlier. The avalanche occurred just outside the boundaries of the Canyons Village area of Park City Mountain Resort.
Contributing: Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com
