Snow Avalanches Coming Down in Utah A Closer Look at Utah’s Winter Wonderland

Snow Avalanches Coming Down in Utah /

Greatest Snow on Earth®  Has been Utah’s slogan since 1962  Used on License plates since 1985  Four million visitors in the winter season. (Ski Utah)  14 resorts 6 ski areas (Ski Utah)  One hour from Salt Lake International Airport 11 resorts com/images/ut/ut571hme.jp g

5 Themes of Geography  Location: Wasatch Range Little Cottonwood 40˚ 34’ 23” N 111˚ 45’ 50” W, Big Cottonwood 40˚ 37’ 30˝ N 111˚ 47’ 59˝ W, Millcreek Canyons 40˚41’ 22˝ N 111˚ 46’ 59˝ W,  Place: Mountains, Snow, Great Salt Lake  Region: Mountains, Tourism,  Movement: Skis, Buses, Planes, Tourist  Human-Environment Interaction: Ski Resort, Watersheds, SkiLink

Human-Environment Interaction: SkiLink Pros:  Create 500 new jobs  Increase local economy by $51 Million  6,000-acre ski netwrok Cons:  Supply of Wasatch public land limited  Construction Degrade watershed  United States Forest Service opposes

Snow Avalanche  The Rapid downslope movement of snow and ice, sometimes with the addition of rock, soil, and vegetation. mountainlessons.com “Natural Hazards” Keller/DeVecchio

Where  About 90% of all avalanches start on slopes of degrees;  98% of all avalanches occur on slopes of degrees. ymanagement/utahhazards/avalanche. html nationalgeographic.com

2 Most Common types of Snow Avalanches Loose-snowSlab Utahavalanchecenter.org MacDonald’s Draw Utahavalanchecenter.org Mt. Raymond

Triggers  Not by loud noise  Snow accumulates very rapidly  Tree fallen  Person’s weight  90% all avalanches triggered victim or in party according to Avalanche Center Avalanchecenter.org Grizzly Gulch

Avalanches: Utah’s most dangerous natural hazard. Photobucket.com/images/snow mobiling Avalanchecenter.org

Utah is tied for third (with Alaska) for fatalities. Colorado has always been at or near the top dailymail.com.uk Avalanchecenter.org

All mountains that receive snow are prone to avalanches. The Wasatch with more avalanche paths and a significant amount of snow is an equation for more avalanche activity. theastralworld.com Avalanchecenter.org

Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, & Millcreek Canyons

Backcountry Adventures Big Cottonwood Canyon  Gently rolling aspen glades on the north side of Big Cottonwood Canyon  Wide variety of terrain in the Wasatch backcountry Utah nordic.com

Little Cottonwood Canyon  Steep chutes and rocky cliffs of Mount Superior in the heart of Little Cottonwood Canyon.  Heli Skiing, Snowmobiles, & Split Boarders Summitpost.org

Millcreek Canyon SnowshoeingCross country skiing Travelbuddy.comHeraldextra.com

161 Avalanches 2013 Avalanchecenter.org Utah Avalanche Center

Backcountry Safety  Bruce Englehart: Outdoor/Avalanche Educator  Avalanche Awareness Classes Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, Utah Mountain Adventures, Utah Avalanche center  Important formal education before going out helps prepare Know before you go  Understand and identify terrain  Plan escape route  Basic Rescue Gear and Knowledge  Little Cottonwood has more avalanche paths Wasatch known for avalanche activity

Basic Rescue Gear  Beacon  Probe  Shovel  Avalanche Flotation Device  Ava Lung  Saw  Backpack

2/3 Avalanche fatalities due to not carrying basic rescue gear Half totally buried victims die even with beacons Utahavalanchecenter.org

Ski Resorts  Little Cottonwood Canyon: Alta Snowbird  Big Cottonwood Canyon: Solitude Brighton Alta.com Snowbird.com Skisolitude.com Brightonresort.com

Ski Resort Safety  Seth Underwood- Snowbird Ski Patrol 14 yrs  Snow safety informs on snow condition Patrol run routes, ski check, push snow, use explosives  Valley Gun Howitzer across road  Helicopter Avalanche Control  Avalanche Dogs  Gear: Transceiver, shovel, probe, saw, AFD

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Have Fun Be Safe