Tag: Avalanche Control & Mitigation

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Articles / Weather | Snow | Utah

Avalanches in Big & Little Cottonwood Canyon Early April 2023

During the last week of March and first week of April, Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons saw an epic snow cycle the likes of which have never been seen before. Little Cottonwood Canyon (“LCC”) closed due to avalanche danger on Sunday April 2, 2023. The canyon generally did not open again until Saturday April 8. (There were two brief periods when the canyon was open to the public to downhill travel only, so that people who needed/wanted could leave. Otherwise, the general public was prohibited from going up or down the canyon during the period April 1-8.

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Cover Image - A History of Avalanche Mitigation in the Cottonwood Canyons
Articles / Weather | Snow | Utah

A History of Avalanche Mitigation in the Cottonwood Canyons

Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon roads carve between steep mountains that are prone to avalanches in the winter. In fact, 57% of the 9-mile Little Cottonwood Canyon Road is in an avalanche runout zone. Still, recreationalists, residents, and canyon employees need to transport themselves up and down these canyons regularly and as safely as possible.

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Articles / Weather | Snow | Utah

Colorado Avalanches: Hwy 550, Highlands Ridge & Winter Storm Ulmer – March, 2019

Colorado was the lucky recipient of historic snow falls early in March, 2019. Here is a collection of some of the news stories and video about the storm and some of the resulting avalanches. This article focuses on the overall storm, eventually labeled as Winter Storm Ulmer, and avalanches along U.S. Highway 550 plus the Highlands Ridge avalanche.

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