Snowboarder dies after being buried in avalanche that he triggered, Utah officials say

A 45-year-old snowboarder died in an avalanche near Salt Lake City, Utah, that he accidentally triggered, according to the Utah Avalanche Center.

The man was identified as Raymond M. Tauszik, according to ABC 4. He was making his way down the 9,600-foot slope on Sunday when he was overtaken by a 3-foot-deep and 100-foot-wide mountain of snow, per the avalanche center.

A spokesperson from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office said police received a call about someone being buried in an avalanche outside Canyons Village near Park City, according to Fox 13.

After Tauszik triggered and was buried in the avalanche, other snowboarders came across his equipment, realized it was attached to a person, and began digging, KSL TV reports. Officials believe that he was buried between 25 and 45 minutes before people came across his board and tried to rescue him.

“We confirmed that there was a set of tracks in and no tracks out,” Lt. Andrew Wright from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office told KSL TV.

Rescuers dug Tauszik out and tried life-saving procedures, according to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital, according to KSL TV.

The avalanche center has warned that the risk for this season is already high.

“If you’re hearing about avalanches on the same kinds of slopes you want to ride on, that is nature’s biggest freebie, it’s the biggest red flag,” Craig Gordon, avalanche forecaster for the Utah Avalanche Center, told Fox 13.

This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Snowboarder dies after being buried in avalanche that he triggered, Utah officials say."