Rescue teams located the body of a skier who was reported missing earlier this week at a Utah resort
Search and rescue teams located the body of a skier who was reported missing earlier this week at a Utah resort on Tuesday, authorities said today.
Solitude Mountain Resort, in Big Cottonwood Canyon of the Wasatch Mountains, about 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, said a search began on its mountain Monday after a skier went missing around noon.
During the search, the resort closed the Apex, Summit and Sunrise slopes, he posted on Twitter.
A search and rescue operation is occurring on-mountain. Apex, Summit, and Sunrise will remain closed as these areas are searched. We hope to have Moonbeam operating by 9:00 a.m., but a delay is possible.
— Solitude Mountain Resort (@SolitudeMTN) December 13, 2022
“(The victim) was found around 8:15 (a.m. Tuesday), right next to the Sensation ski slope in some trees,” Melody Cutler, a spokeswoman for the Greater Salt Lake Unified Police Department, told the outlet. local KSLTV.
The skier was identified as Devon O’Connell, 37, of Cottonwood Heights, the outlet reported, who police say had been skiing on the mountain with a friend. Police said the friend left around 10:30 a.m. while the skier got on a chairlift for another run around noon.
The victim, who was wearing a helmet, was found with “injuries suggestive of impact,” Solitude Mountain Resort told NBC.
Devon O'Connell was a great guy. His death is simply a tragedy. My heart aches for the family. RIP, Devon. I miss you. https://t.co/OquTQcb7Nk
— Doug Meigs (@DougMeigs) December 14, 2022
“The individual was found unresponsive within the ski area boundaries near the Sensation slope at 8:20 am,” Solitude spokesman Travis Holland told USA TODAY Wednesday afternoon. “Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead. We send our deepest condolences to the family.”
The official cause of death of the skier is unknown at the moment.
Devon O’Connell’s family created a GoFundMe account to help pay for funeral expenses, setting a goal of $15,000, of which they have raised $6,810 at the time of publishing this post.
A winter storm brought heavy snow to Utah and other parts of the West earlier this week, dumping up to 4 feet of snow in parts of Nevada and Idaho and fueling blizzard warnings in six other states.
About 13 inches of snow fell on Solitude Monday, according to its snowfall chart.