Industry News
Snowbird and Alta went into Interlodge last night after the Utah Department of Transportation announced the overnight closure of Little Cottonwood Canyon due to avalanche mitigation.
Interlodge is where no one in the Alta nor Snowbird areas is allowed to go outside due to the very high risk of avalanches. Interlodge is rare, usually only happening once or twice per season.
https://twitter.com/UDOTcottonwoods/status/1746586324893679829
UDOT closed Little Cottonwood Canyon at 9 pm. Alta said Interlodge will begin at 10 pm, and there is no estimated time for reopening.
The record Interlodge was 60 hours in February 2021.
Alta has seen 24″ of fresh snow in the last 24 hours, taking it to 258″ for the season, and Snowbird has seen 21″ in the last 24 hours, taking it to 233″ for the season.
Avalanche danger is rated as ‘extreme’ across the majority of Utah’s mountains, with an avalanche warning in effect through tomorrow. Utah Avalanche Center is warning of extreme and extraordinarily dangerous avalanche conditions; deadly and dangerous avalanche conditions exist on all aspects and elevations.
The avalanche danger for the warning area is HIGH and EXTREME for the mountains of northern and central Utah and southeast Idaho, which includes the Wasatch Range…the Bear River Range…Uinta Mountains…Manti-Skyline plateau…and the Mountains of Southwestern Utah.
Strong winds and heavy snowfall have created dangerous avalanche conditions. Avalanches failing on a widespread persistent weak layer buried under the new snow are very likely. Avoid all avalanche terrain.
This avalanche warning is in effect from Sunday, January 14, 2024 – 6:00am to Monday, January 15, 2024 – 6:00am
THE AVALANCHE DANGER IS EXTREME, EXTRAORDINARILY DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS. NATURAL AND HUMAN-TRIGGERED AVALANCHES ARE CERTAIN. AVOID ALL AVALANCHE TERRAIN.
DEADLY AND DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS EXIST ON ALL ASPECTS AND ELEVATIONS.
– UAC
