Backcountry skiers, splitboarders, snowshoers, snowmobilers and anyone else who recreates in Utah’s winter backcountry absolutely has to be smart about avalanche conditions and safety. Education is key, but even if you’ve taken the requisite avalanche courses, continuing to learn is important. That’s why attending the annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop should be a yearly…
Tag: avalanche
Utah avalanche victim found in Grand Teton National Park
A week-long search for two missing skiers in Grand Teton National Park ended Sunday when the bodies of 27-year-old Walker Kuhl of Salt Lake City, and 31-year-old Greg Seftick of Columbia Falls, Montana, were found under 13 feet of avalanche debris. The two men went backcountry skiing in Wyoming’s Grand Tetons on April 16 to…
Backcountry.com extends Utah Avalanche Center forecasts
It’s awesome when the outdoor community comes together for a common cause, just as Backcountry.com did this week to help keep the Utah Avalanche Center running until the end of April because of their very generous $6,300 donation. The UAC generally ceases operations at the beginning of April due to a lack of funding. But…
Avalanche victim Garrett Smith remembered
For backcountry skiers and snowboarders, it’s always tough to hear about an avalanche fatality in Utah’s mountains. It’s even more disturbing to discover that the touring party was experienced and did everything right, but even then, a life was lost. Avalanches are unpredictable, and no amount of knowledge and precautions can ever make a snow-covered…
Backcountry skiing God’s Lawnmower
It is huge. It can be seen from Big Cottonwood Canyon road. Its very presence makes every skier driving to Solitude or Brighton look up and imagine skiing that line. It’s called God’s Lawnmower, and this enormous slide path on the north face of Kessler Peak is an icon of backcountrry skiing in the Wasatch….
Bid on Black Diamond Drift Skis and help the Utah Avalanche Center
Looking for new backcountry touring skis this season? Well, you can buy some new sticks and help out the Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) at the same time. A shiny new pair of Black Diamond Drift skis with custom Utah Avalanche Center graphics are on auction at Ebay. These skis are brand new, still in the plastic, are…
Get real time Utah Avalanche Center info on your phone
Imagine you’re skinning up for some backcountry skiing in Days Fork near Alta. You checked the avalanche report in the morning and feel good to go as the day is forecast to be a moderate, level 2 rating. Just as you enter avalanche terrain in a high elevation area, your phone chirps with a new…
Sign up for 2nd annual Freeride Avalanche Summit
It’s time to start thinking about avalanches again. You can read Bruce Tremper’s book, Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, practice with your beacon wherever you can find snow, and take a level 1 avalanche course. Even if you do all of these things every year, it never hurts to take a refresher course, and Snowbird, alomng with…
3rd Annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop at The Depot
It’s the time of year to start thinking about avalanches again, especially if you spend any time in the backcountry. To help educate the skiing/snowboarding/sledding/snowshoeing public, the Utah Avalanche Center holds a workshop every first Saturday in November. Dubbed, the Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop, the event strives to bring avalanche awareness to the masses…
Utah Avalanche Center’s 2010 Fall Fundraising Party at Black Diamond
You can almost smell winter in the air when Utah Avalanche Center Fundraisers are on the horizon. In fact, the big party at the Black Diamond Store in Salt Lake City is on September 16th, and tickets are on sale right now. Like every year, the Utah Avalanche Center depends on backcountry users to help…