Legacy Matters

Killed in avalanche

Experienced snowboarder, 24, triggers deadly avalanche and falls 2,400 feet to his death after ignoring snowstorm warnings

A 24-year-old snowboarder has been killed after triggering an avalanche in back country which officials had warned the public against using after a bout of violent snowstorms.

Alecsander Barton, originally from Michigan, was boarding from the peak of Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah with two friends when he triggered an avalanche that measured 700 feet wide.

It occurred at a time when avalanche danger had been classified as 'high' due to heavy snowfall and loose, powdery snow.

Barton's two friends - a snowboarder and a skier - were not caught in the snow. They called 911 and, using beacons, found his body had been carried 2,400 feet by the snow.
Barton, who was two days from his 25th birthday, was already dead.