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

3. Snow Avalanches Coming Down in Utah http:// www.skiutah.com /

4. Greatest Snow on Earth®  Has been Utah’s slogan since 1962  Used on License plates since 1985  Four million visitors in the 2012-2013 winter season. (Ski Utah)  14 resorts 6 ski areas (Ski Utah)  One hour from Salt Lake International Airport 11 resorts http:// www.zulsplatepage. com/images/ut/ut571hme.jp g

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Where  About 90% of all avalanches start on slopes of 30 - 45 degrees;  98% of all avalanches occur on slopes of 25 - 50 degrees. http://publicsafety.utah.gov/emergenc ymanagement/utahhazards/avalanche. html nationalgeographic.com

9. 2 Most Common types of Snow Avalanches Loose-snowSlab Utahavalanchecenter.org MacDonald’s Draw Utahavalanchecenter.org Mt. Raymond

10. 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

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

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

13. 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

14. Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, & Millcreek Canyons

15. 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

16. 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

17. Millcreek Canyon SnowshoeingCross country skiing Travelbuddy.comHeraldextra.com

18. 161 Avalanches 2013 Avalanchecenter.org Utah Avalanche Center

19. 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

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

21. 2/3 Avalanche fatalities due to not carrying basic rescue gear Half totally buried victims die even with beacons Utahavalanchecenter.org

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

23. 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

24. Videos  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NntOMCNg-U4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NntOMCNg-U4  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq2OUAa_mdA&feat ure=em-share_video_user https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq2OUAa_mdA&feat ure=em-share_video_user

25. Have Fun Be Safe