LOGAN, Utah — Multiple parts of northern Utah were in extreme avalanche danger following a series of winter storms that pummeled Utah.
Over the weekend, multiple roads experienced closure due to avalanche concerns. Logan Canyon was closed after an avalanche slid onto the road, Provo Canyon was closed for part of Sunday due to natural avalanches covering the road early morning, and Little Cottonwood Canyon was closed Sunday for avalanche mitigation.
"A mid-December dry spell that created a weak, sugary layer on the surface of the snow, and now we've stacked up very heavy dense snow that got pushed in with very strong winds," said Craig Gordon with the Utah Avalanche Center. "It's like parking a sprinter van on top of potato chips, and you know those potato chips are just going to give way."
Tanner Gittins was driving near the Dugway in Logan Canyon Friday morning when he came upon the aftermath of an avalanche.
"There was a vehicle who tried to drive through the avalanche debris and got stuck. He had been digging with his shovels for a while, we pushed him out and sent him on his way, by the time we got out there was a UDOT truck that pulled up and he told us the canyon was closed," Gittins recalled.
"We've had numerous avalanches this weekend, we've received reports on two very close calls, so the writing is on the wall — we need to realize any avalanche we trigger right now is going to break deep, it's going to break wide, it's going to be unsurvivable," Gordon said.
Gittins says he changed his plans when he realized the Logan Canyon backcountry and most areas in Northern Utah were in extreme avalanche danger.
"I was itching to get out in all this fresh snow. We received about 40 inches out here in our mountains, but I took the weekend off. We played it safe because there's always going to be another day to go ride," Gittins said.
Gordon is advising people to avoid the backcountry and stay away from steep terrain for the next few days — just like Gittins did.
"Just be mindful of where you're at and be extra careful. Just stay to the meadows," Gittins said.
"Our singular decisions can affect our entire community," Gordon said. "Most avalanche accidents happen a couple days after a storm, especially those few sunny days, where we're feeling good and stoked about the weather, but right now our mountains are not going to feel the same way."
You can get more information on avalanche conditions near your area at utahavalanchecenter.org.
