Can dynamite save you from an avalanche? Anyone who skis steep slopes at resorts knows explosives are what makes avalanche terrain safe in-bounds. But what’s the science behind intentionally triggering avalanches? Why does ski patrol have to mitigate slides nearly every day to keep skiers safe? And what does the future of avalanche forecasting look…
Tag: avalanche
Upcoming events from the Utah Avalanche Center
It’s so hot right now that you’re probably not thinking about ski season. But now is the time to mark your calendars as two events from the Utah Avalanche Center will be here before you know it. Black Diamond Fall Fundraiser One of the biggest UAC fundraising events of the year is the annual Black…
Update: UDOT to close Little Cottonwood Canyon backcountry on powder days
Update: The full Little Cottonwood Canyon closure policy put forth by UDOT as described below has been revised. The new policy is as follows: The entire north side of Little Cottonwood Canyon from Lisa Falls to Grizzly Gulch will be closed during avalanche control work. However, the closure boundaries will extend an additional 1,000 meters,…
Avalanche Striker Shirt review
When summer gets hot, you need a cool and comfortable shirt while recreating outside. A shirt that breathes, is light weight, and wicks away moisture is key. The Striker shirt from Avalanche claims to have all of those qualities. So I’ve been wearing one for everything from mountain biking to trail running and have a…
MSR Striker 240 Probe & Responder Shovel review
So, you got yourself a copy of Jared Hargrave’s excellent book, Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Routes: Utah. Your skins are cut, you can transition your setup lickety-split, and your beacon battery is at 100%… but before you go breaking trail, take a look at your probe and shovel. Aside from your beacon, these two items…
Wanship man, Stephen Jones, killed in avalanche
A Wanship man, 50-year-old Stephen Jones, went missing at the Canyons side of Park City Resort on Sunday, January 31st. Sadly, his body was recovered on Tuesday. Jones was killed in an avalanche in the backcountry just outside the resort boundary. According to the Utah Avalanche Center, the avalanche occurred on the Rips Ridge/Pointy Peak area…
Utah’s backcountry ski community mourns Douglas Green
Utah saw its first 2016 avalanche fatality on Thursday, January 21st, when 49-year-old Douglas Green perished in a slide on Gobblers Knob. According to the Utah Avalanche Center, Green was skiing with another skier on a south-facing run called White Snake. This run is steep and open, and descends into Mill A Basin near Baker…
Arva introduces new airbag pack system at Outdoor Retailer
Arva, well known for their avalanche beacons, has just entered the airbag pack market. They unveiled the new Reactor System line of packs at the 2016 Outdoor Retailer Winter All Mountain Demo. I got an in-person demonstration, which I later found out was the very first North American deployment of this totally new airbag system….
Salomon Mountain Academy ready to educate you
Ready to ski the backcountry? Better get educated first. A good place to start is the brand new Salomon Mountain Academy, which just went live this fall. The Mountain Academy is an online avalanche safety course designed to be a supplement to traditional, in-the-field courses that cost a lot more money. Designed in collaboration with Atomic and wePowder, Mountain…
Utah Avalanche Center produces “Know Before You Go” video
You gotta hand it to the Utah Avalanche Center – they just went HUGE in their brand new, “Know Before You Go” video. In conjunction with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, the UAC’s own Trent Meisenheimer, Bruce Tremper, Paul Diegel, and Craig Gordon took avalanche safety videos to the next level. The video is part…