Avalanche at The Canyons
Sunday, December 23, 2007
For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Elizabeth Dowd
435.615.3308
edowd@thecanyons.com
(Park City, Utah) December 23, 2007 – At Approximately 11.17 Am MST Sunday December 23, 2007 an avalanche occurred in the Red Pine Chutes area, terrain serviced by the 9990 lift at The Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah. It is with tremendous regret that we can confirm one fatality and one injury.
A brief timeline of the day’s events are as follows:
11:17am MST: Call came into The Canyons mountain dispatch
11:21 am MST: The Canyons Ski Patrol arrives on the scene
11:25 am MST: 25-35 year old male was located
11:50 am MST: adolescent male was located
Summit County Sheriff Dave Edmunds released information that the deceased was a male between 25-35 years old and that the injured party is an adolescent male who was flown to a Salt Lake City hospital.
Aggressive avalanche control work had been performed at The Canyons throughout the week as new snow fell in the region. Consistent with standard avalanche control procedures, explosives and other safety measures were performed in the area in the past 24 hours. The section of the mountain where the avalanche occurred opened yesterday December 22, 2007.
Mike Goar, Managing Director of The Canyons, comments, “The event of today is a rare and unfortunate accident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and everyone involved.”
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Inbounds Avalanche at The Canyons kills 1
Started by Peter, Dec 23 2007 06:33 PM
4 replies to this topic
#1
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#2
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Posted 24 December 2007 - 08:39 AM
No, I will be the pattern of all patience; I will say nothing.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
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Posted 25 December 2007 - 04:37 PM
http://www.deseretne...5238839,00.html
Boy remains unconscious after avalanche at Canyons
An 11-year-old boy buried in an avalanche for more than a half-hour still had not regained consciousness Monday, a day after he and two adults were caught in a slide in an inbounds area at The Canyons ski resort in Summit County, according to the county sheriff's office.
But officials remained optimistic about the boy's prognosis Monday. He was listed in critical but stable condition at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, said Sheriff's Sgt. Justin Martinez. At the family's request, the name of the boy and where he is from were not released Monday.
Also Monday, the name of the man killed in Sunday's slide was released. Jesse R. Williams, 30, of Grand Junction, Colo., was killed in the avalanche.
Williams and his wife, Gina Marie Williams, and their 2-year-old daughter, Keely, had lived in Grand Junction for about five years, said Williams' father-in-law Jim Coe of Park City. He was originally from the Salt Lake and Park City areas, Coe said. Williams and his family were in Utah visiting family for Christmas.
"You couldn't time it worse if you tried," Coe said of the tragedy. "He was a great guy. He was a good father and a very good husband."
Williams was an experienced skier who was a volunteer member of the Powderhorn Ski Resort just outside of Grand Junction, Colo.
"We just found out what happened," resort spokeswoman Sarah Allen said Monday afternoon. "He was a great husband, great patroller, just an awesome guy. Our whole patrol staff is really grieving today. Our patrollers are having a hard time today."
About 11:17 a.m. Sunday, the avalanche occurred in the Red Pine Chutes area of the resort, an inbounds trail off the Ninety-nine 90 chair lift. The slide started inbounds and caught three skiers in its path before stopping in an out-of-bounds area, said resort spokeswoman Elizabeth Dowd.
The Utah Avalanche Center Monday said the slide was 3 feet to 5 feet deep and 175 feet wide. Williams' body was found less than 10 minutes after the ski patrol was notified of the slide.
Williams was skiing with a friend when the slide broke lose behind him. The friend later told Coe that while he was above where the slide started, Williams was caught right in its path.
"The report I got was they were coming down a chute. They were inbounds. ... Jesse always obeyed the rules," Coe said. "It carried Jesse down the hill."
Williams wasn't buried deep in the snow, but he hit a tree. It was the impact of the collision that killed him almost instantly, according to Coe.
Funeral services were being planned Monday afternoon.
The avalanche also engulfed the boy and his father. The father was able to dig himself out, but the boy was not found until 33 minutes after the slide was reported, according to Dowd.
When members of the ski patrol reached the boy, he had no pulse and was not breathing, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. But through efforts that have been described as "heroic," members of the ski patrol administered CPR and were able to get a pulse and get him breathing again.
"They really were beyond brilliant yesterday," Dowd said.
She said the patrollers who were part of the rescue were "really shook up" Monday despite their heroic efforts and declined a request to speak to the Morning News.
The Canyons had just opened the area of the resort where the avalanche occurred Saturday after conducting "aggressive avalanche control work" throughout the week, Dowd said. The Utah Avalanche Center reported that 170 pounds of explosives had been used to try to prepare that area for use and called Sunday's event a "tragic accident."
The Red Pine Chutes area was closed Monday morning, but Dowd said it could be reopened by Monday afternoon depending on weather conditions and avalanche control work.
With new snow expected to fall in the mountains most of the week and winds preceding the storm, the Utah Avalanche Center Monday listed the avalanche potential as "considerable" for all regions statewide. That means that human-triggered avalanches were probable. Avalanche training, proper equipment and backcountry experience were recommended for anyone considering a venture into the backcountry.
Boy remains unconscious after avalanche at Canyons
An 11-year-old boy buried in an avalanche for more than a half-hour still had not regained consciousness Monday, a day after he and two adults were caught in a slide in an inbounds area at The Canyons ski resort in Summit County, according to the county sheriff's office.
But officials remained optimistic about the boy's prognosis Monday. He was listed in critical but stable condition at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, said Sheriff's Sgt. Justin Martinez. At the family's request, the name of the boy and where he is from were not released Monday.
Also Monday, the name of the man killed in Sunday's slide was released. Jesse R. Williams, 30, of Grand Junction, Colo., was killed in the avalanche.
Williams and his wife, Gina Marie Williams, and their 2-year-old daughter, Keely, had lived in Grand Junction for about five years, said Williams' father-in-law Jim Coe of Park City. He was originally from the Salt Lake and Park City areas, Coe said. Williams and his family were in Utah visiting family for Christmas.
"You couldn't time it worse if you tried," Coe said of the tragedy. "He was a great guy. He was a good father and a very good husband."
Williams was an experienced skier who was a volunteer member of the Powderhorn Ski Resort just outside of Grand Junction, Colo.
"We just found out what happened," resort spokeswoman Sarah Allen said Monday afternoon. "He was a great husband, great patroller, just an awesome guy. Our whole patrol staff is really grieving today. Our patrollers are having a hard time today."
About 11:17 a.m. Sunday, the avalanche occurred in the Red Pine Chutes area of the resort, an inbounds trail off the Ninety-nine 90 chair lift. The slide started inbounds and caught three skiers in its path before stopping in an out-of-bounds area, said resort spokeswoman Elizabeth Dowd.
The Utah Avalanche Center Monday said the slide was 3 feet to 5 feet deep and 175 feet wide. Williams' body was found less than 10 minutes after the ski patrol was notified of the slide.
Williams was skiing with a friend when the slide broke lose behind him. The friend later told Coe that while he was above where the slide started, Williams was caught right in its path.
"The report I got was they were coming down a chute. They were inbounds. ... Jesse always obeyed the rules," Coe said. "It carried Jesse down the hill."
Williams wasn't buried deep in the snow, but he hit a tree. It was the impact of the collision that killed him almost instantly, according to Coe.
Funeral services were being planned Monday afternoon.
The avalanche also engulfed the boy and his father. The father was able to dig himself out, but the boy was not found until 33 minutes after the slide was reported, according to Dowd.
When members of the ski patrol reached the boy, he had no pulse and was not breathing, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. But through efforts that have been described as "heroic," members of the ski patrol administered CPR and were able to get a pulse and get him breathing again.
"They really were beyond brilliant yesterday," Dowd said.
She said the patrollers who were part of the rescue were "really shook up" Monday despite their heroic efforts and declined a request to speak to the Morning News.
The Canyons had just opened the area of the resort where the avalanche occurred Saturday after conducting "aggressive avalanche control work" throughout the week, Dowd said. The Utah Avalanche Center reported that 170 pounds of explosives had been used to try to prepare that area for use and called Sunday's event a "tragic accident."
The Red Pine Chutes area was closed Monday morning, but Dowd said it could be reopened by Monday afternoon depending on weather conditions and avalanche control work.
With new snow expected to fall in the mountains most of the week and winds preceding the storm, the Utah Avalanche Center Monday listed the avalanche potential as "considerable" for all regions statewide. That means that human-triggered avalanches were probable. Avalanche training, proper equipment and backcountry experience were recommended for anyone considering a venture into the backcountry.
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Posted 26 December 2007 - 03:32 PM
http://www.ksl.com/?...148&sid=2386806
Boy caught in Canyons avalanche doing better
December 26th, 2007 @ 4:03pm
(KSL News) The family of a boy who was injured in the first avalanche in Summit County says he is fully recovering.
In a statement, the parents of Max Zilvitis say they are "forever grateful to the volunteers and ski patrol who helped recover Max" and that "prayers, calls, and visits have visibly helped Max get better."
Max was one of two people caught in the slide at the Canyons Resort Sunday. The other, 30-year-old Jesse Williams, was killed.
If you're planning to head up to the mountains, you can check avalanche conditions before you go by clicking on the related link.
Boy caught in Canyons avalanche doing better
December 26th, 2007 @ 4:03pm
(KSL News) The family of a boy who was injured in the first avalanche in Summit County says he is fully recovering.
In a statement, the parents of Max Zilvitis say they are "forever grateful to the volunteers and ski patrol who helped recover Max" and that "prayers, calls, and visits have visibly helped Max get better."
Max was one of two people caught in the slide at the Canyons Resort Sunday. The other, 30-year-old Jesse Williams, was killed.
If you're planning to head up to the mountains, you can check avalanche conditions before you go by clicking on the related link.
#5
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Posted 28 December 2007 - 07:40 AM
http://deseretnews.c...5239506,00.html
(see the pictures)
Skier recalls 'snow roller coaster'
11-year-old boy caught in avalanche is lucky to be alive
By Pat Reavy
Deseret Morning News
Published: Friday, Dec. 28, 2007 12:18 a.m. MST
0 comments E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + -
SUMMIT COUNTY — Max Zilvitis, 11, remembers his dad yelling "avalanche" and then looking over his right shoulder just as a wall of snow hit the boy and sent him tumbling.
For what seemed like forever, Max was carried on what he called a "snow roller coaster."
"It felt like I went upside down," he said. "I moved around for awhile, but then I don't remember anything until the next day."
As Max was being swept away Sunday at The Canyons, he instinctively started doing what he had watched recently on the Discovery Channel about ways for increasing the odds of surviving an avalanche.
Max said he nodded his head up and down and moved his arms in front of him to create air pockets. He was trapped under the snow for more than 30 minutes. He was not breathing and had no pulse when he was found.
When Max regained consciousness the following afternoon, more than 24 hours after the accident, he was a little groggy at first, but then picked right back up as if the accident had happened not that long ago.
"He asked, 'What happened to me? Where are my skis? Where's my pass? Where's my jacket?"' He had saved up all fall for a new Burton ski jacket and pants. "It was the first thing he asked about," said his mother, Samantha Zilvitis. "Those questions made us feel great."
Max spoke publicly for the first time about his harrowing ordeal and his recovery, which some are calling nothing short of a miracle.
Max and his father were on their last run of the day. The avalanche happened in the Red Pine Chutes area off the 99-90 ski lift, but Max and his dad had taken the North Face. They had stopped at the bottom of Red Pine Chutes to rest. Max was sitting down when his dad heard someone yell something from up the hill. He looked up and saw the avalanche coming toward them, he said.
"It seemed surreal. It didn't look like it was going fast. I didn't think it would get to Max," Brian Zilvitis said.
Max was swallowed first by the snow, then Brian. Brian Zilvitis said he was buried to his waist but was able to dig himself out quickly. Because no one else was around, Zilvitis feared that "if I had gone under, no one would have known we were killed."
The Canyons reported it was 33 minutes from the time they learned of the avalanche until Max was found. But Brian said when the time it took to call 911 was factored in, Max was actually under the snow for 39 minutes.
When Max arrived at Primary Children's Medical Center, doctors slowly warmed his body but for 24 hours let his body temperature stay below normal to allow his brain time to heal. Already some of Max's organs were showing initial stages of suffering from a lack of oxygen.
But by keeping Max in almost an induced hypothermia-like state, he appears to have come out of the near-death incident with no brain damage.
"As soon as he got to Primary's, every single thing they did was right," Samantha Zilvitis said.
The only time things didn't happen as doctors predicted was a 90-minute period on Monday when Max's heart rate and pulse continued to drop. It was the scariest part of the entire ordeal, his parents said.
But doctors were able to correct the situation, and not long after, Max regained consciousness.
"No father should have to go through what he did," Samantha Zilvitis said of her husband's frightening experience.
Wednesday Max was allowed to leave the hospital. When he arrived at his home outside Park City, where The Canyons can practically be seen from his back yard, his friends had decorated the house with streamers, balloons and posters welcoming him home.
"It's going very well," Max said Thursday.
Even Max's younger sister said she was happy to see him.
"I'm really glad that he's back. It's really boring to not have someone to bug me," Abby Zilvitis said jokingly.
Max and his father still have some flexibility problems with their hands, and Max is being treated as if he had suffered a concussion, his parents said. He is not allowed to go outside for awhile or participate in any extracurricular activity. But he is expected to make a full recovery.
While the Zilvitis family was happy to be reunited, their hearts also go out to the family of Jesse Williams, who was killed in the same avalanche. Max did not learn of Williams' death until Thursday.
The incident has not discouraged Max, who has been skiing since he was 3, from getting back on the slopes. He said once he is given the green light he plans on going skiing again.
The Zilvitis family said they hoped to arrange a meeting Sunday with the ski patrol members who rescued Max to thank them in person.
(see the pictures)
Skier recalls 'snow roller coaster'
11-year-old boy caught in avalanche is lucky to be alive
By Pat Reavy
Deseret Morning News
Published: Friday, Dec. 28, 2007 12:18 a.m. MST
0 comments E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + -
SUMMIT COUNTY — Max Zilvitis, 11, remembers his dad yelling "avalanche" and then looking over his right shoulder just as a wall of snow hit the boy and sent him tumbling.
For what seemed like forever, Max was carried on what he called a "snow roller coaster."
"It felt like I went upside down," he said. "I moved around for awhile, but then I don't remember anything until the next day."
As Max was being swept away Sunday at The Canyons, he instinctively started doing what he had watched recently on the Discovery Channel about ways for increasing the odds of surviving an avalanche.
Max said he nodded his head up and down and moved his arms in front of him to create air pockets. He was trapped under the snow for more than 30 minutes. He was not breathing and had no pulse when he was found.
When Max regained consciousness the following afternoon, more than 24 hours after the accident, he was a little groggy at first, but then picked right back up as if the accident had happened not that long ago.
"He asked, 'What happened to me? Where are my skis? Where's my pass? Where's my jacket?"' He had saved up all fall for a new Burton ski jacket and pants. "It was the first thing he asked about," said his mother, Samantha Zilvitis. "Those questions made us feel great."
Max spoke publicly for the first time about his harrowing ordeal and his recovery, which some are calling nothing short of a miracle.
Max and his father were on their last run of the day. The avalanche happened in the Red Pine Chutes area off the 99-90 ski lift, but Max and his dad had taken the North Face. They had stopped at the bottom of Red Pine Chutes to rest. Max was sitting down when his dad heard someone yell something from up the hill. He looked up and saw the avalanche coming toward them, he said.
"It seemed surreal. It didn't look like it was going fast. I didn't think it would get to Max," Brian Zilvitis said.
Max was swallowed first by the snow, then Brian. Brian Zilvitis said he was buried to his waist but was able to dig himself out quickly. Because no one else was around, Zilvitis feared that "if I had gone under, no one would have known we were killed."
The Canyons reported it was 33 minutes from the time they learned of the avalanche until Max was found. But Brian said when the time it took to call 911 was factored in, Max was actually under the snow for 39 minutes.
When Max arrived at Primary Children's Medical Center, doctors slowly warmed his body but for 24 hours let his body temperature stay below normal to allow his brain time to heal. Already some of Max's organs were showing initial stages of suffering from a lack of oxygen.
But by keeping Max in almost an induced hypothermia-like state, he appears to have come out of the near-death incident with no brain damage.
"As soon as he got to Primary's, every single thing they did was right," Samantha Zilvitis said.
The only time things didn't happen as doctors predicted was a 90-minute period on Monday when Max's heart rate and pulse continued to drop. It was the scariest part of the entire ordeal, his parents said.
But doctors were able to correct the situation, and not long after, Max regained consciousness.
"No father should have to go through what he did," Samantha Zilvitis said of her husband's frightening experience.
Wednesday Max was allowed to leave the hospital. When he arrived at his home outside Park City, where The Canyons can practically be seen from his back yard, his friends had decorated the house with streamers, balloons and posters welcoming him home.
"It's going very well," Max said Thursday.
Even Max's younger sister said she was happy to see him.
"I'm really glad that he's back. It's really boring to not have someone to bug me," Abby Zilvitis said jokingly.
Max and his father still have some flexibility problems with their hands, and Max is being treated as if he had suffered a concussion, his parents said. He is not allowed to go outside for awhile or participate in any extracurricular activity. But he is expected to make a full recovery.
While the Zilvitis family was happy to be reunited, their hearts also go out to the family of Jesse Williams, who was killed in the same avalanche. Max did not learn of Williams' death until Thursday.
The incident has not discouraged Max, who has been skiing since he was 3, from getting back on the slopes. He said once he is given the green light he plans on going skiing again.
The Zilvitis family said they hoped to arrange a meeting Sunday with the ski patrol members who rescued Max to thank them in person.
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