ALTA, Utah — If you were among those who spent the long weekend in Little Cottonwood Canyon enjoying the great outdoors, you might have been taken aback by the sight in parts of the canyon. Its trails now bear the scars of nearly 100 avalanches, comprising both natural occurrences and mitigation slides.
Andrew Olson, a resident of Little Cottonwood Canyon and an avid climber, expressed his sense of being a part of historic winter.
"To see an avalanche cycle that potentially won't happen again in 100 years feels like I'm part of history," he said.
Comparing side-by-side pictures, the difference between the view from the top of Lisa Falls in Little Cottonwood Canyon in 2015 and the present day, after a winter characterized by intense avalanches, becomes apparent.
Sean Nelsen, another resident and climber, described the "crazy" sight of trees literally split in half.
A cell phone video captured from the top of Lisa Falls shows the extensive damage, confirming the expectations of Nelsen and Olson, who expected the post-avalanche debris once the snow melted due to the amount of avalanches that took place during winter.
"Everywhere you look, there's just massive slide paths that used to be where trees were. It's probably just going to be a permanent scar on the mountain," Olson said.
Utah Department of Transportation spokesman John Gleason explained the hazardous nature of Little Cottonwood Canyon, saying it holds the title of being the most avalanche-prone area in North America. With approximately 64 slide paths, nearly all of them were triggered at some point during the winter due to the unprecedented amount of snowfall — even areas that hadn't experienced avalanches in decades.
"This year, it's quite extensive. The full-size trees, the rocks, every bit of debris you can imagine was washed down in these slides," Gleason said.
David Whittekiend with the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest agreed, explaining that this year's avalanche activity surpassed previous years in both frequency and damage. When determining when recreation areas can reopen, officials must take into account the significant damage sustained.
"You'll probably see trails that are blocked with trees, some runoff that could be eroding these areas, and some damage to our recreation areas," Whittekiend said.
Although concerns about avalanches remain in the minds of residents, Nelsen emphasized the importance of selecting less-affected areas for outdoor activities, and Whittekiend said the public can help pitch in to get these recreation areas back open sooner.
"If people are interested in helping us, we always accept volunteers. People can contact our offices and participate in volunteer projects aimed at trail maintenance and restoring recreation areas," he said.
