Avalanche in Utah, February 21 to 22, 2026

Two skiers left the Butler Fork trailhead in Big Cottonwood Canyon Saturday morning 2/21 with the plan to do a run known as The Triangle. This is in Butler Basin, a Big Cottonwood Canyon drainage east of Gobblers Knob. The skiers ascended a steep north-facing slope next to the desired run, when near the top an avalanche broke. Both skiers were caught and carried around 100 feet down the slope, becoming fully buried at the bottom. Other groups of skiers in the basin witnessed the avalanche occur, and notified 911, Alta Central, and began rescue efforts. Around 10 minutes after the avalanche, one of the bystanders made their way to the debris, conducted a beacon search, and eventually found a splitboard binding still attached. Additional bystanders arrived and helped uncover the first victim, cleared their airway, allowing them to breathe and gain consciousness. The victim had suffered a leg injury, but was moved to a safer location. Around this time others began transceiver searching for the other victim, eventually exposing the boot. The skier was buried around 150 cm and face down. The second victim was unburied and CPR efforts were initiated. An EMT was longlined to assist the first victim who had regained consciousness, and the second victim was airlifted from the scene but later succumbed to their injuries.

A group of seven snowbikers met in Big Cottonwood Canyon and the Guardsmans Pass trailhead with the intention to ride in the area during the afternoon. Most of the group had extensive backcountry, including formal avalanche training, and members of the group were equipped with transceiver (though no transceiver check was performed), probe, shovel, and avalanche airbag. While they were aware of the conditions, including considerable avalanche danger rating (per Utah Avalanche Center), they set out planning to stick to low-angle slopes in Caribou Basin which they knew well. While riding, they observed numerous avalanches, and noted the loose underlying snow characteristics when getting one member unstuck from deep snow. After taking a break, the group decided to do one more session around the basin before returning to the trailhead. The group set out and subsequently regrouped, but noticed one member was missing. They backtracked and found a spot where a fresh avalanche had overrun an area which they had ridden. The members called 911 and began a transceiver search, but could not find a signal given the large debris pile. Eventually after several minutes, one member spotted the missing member's snowbike. The group began spot probing, but were unsuccessful. Wasatch Search and Rescue and AirMed responded to the site, but due to conditions getting dark and the likelihood further avalanche mitigation would be required for rescuer safety, rescue efforts were halted for the night. Multiple agencies resumed rescue efforts, and avalanche mitigation was performed. In time an avalanche dog located the missing member, and the victim was found deceased beneath roughly 2 feet of snow. The victim was wearing an avalanche transceiver, but it was not turned on. Additionally, the avalanche airbag the victim had been wearing had not been deployed.