BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON – On February 8, 2025, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office received reports of an avalanche in Silver Fork Canyon’s East Bowl involving two adult males.
The Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team was quickly deployed. One individual was safely extracted from the mountain with non-life-threatening injuries and transported to a local hospital.
The other male was buried in the snow and succumbed to his injuries. The victim has been identified as Higinio Juan Gonzales, 59, of Salt Lake City.
The rescue and recovery was a coordinated response involving Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Wasatch Backcountry Rescue, Utah Division of Public Safety, and Powderbird…