Avalanche
🚧 #RoadClosureUpdate 🚧 #SR210 is still CLOSED to all travel in both directions due to avalanche activity overnight. Control work ongoing & high snowfall rates. Road crews staged where safe.
Traffic is closed in both directions until further notice. No est time of reopening. pic.twitter.com/qAtU3cQD2T
— UDOT Cottonwood Canyons (@UDOTcottonwoods) February 17, 2021
Extreme avalanche danger and snowfall rates up to 2″ per hour kept the road into Little Cottonwood Canyon (Hwy 210) closed all day yesterday and kept both Alta & Snowbird under “Maximum Security Interlodge” all day. The road remains closed this morning with no indication of when it will reopen. Neighboring Big Cottonwood Canyon (Hwy 190) is open at this time.
All terrain north of Little Cottonwood Creek from Gate B to Grizzly Gulch. Extends 100 feet over Twin Lakes Pass, and 1000 meters into Big Cottonwood.
EXTENDED CLOSURE PERIOD FURTHER due to Extreme avalanche hazard.
Closure still in effect new est. opening. 2/18/2021- 08:00am pic.twitter.com/h1Bo17OIFG— UDOT Avalanche (@UDOTavy) February 17, 2021
Interlodge is where no one in the Alta nor Snowbird areas is allowed to go outside due to the very high risk of avalanches.
#RoadUpdate 👋 #SR190 travelers. Heavy snowfall continues through AM, exceeding 1”/hour at times. Up to 10” possible before 12pm. Due to heavy road ❄️, expect delays for clearing parking areas. Have #TractionDevices ON & ability to navigate snowy roads if traveling in canyon! pic.twitter.com/MNdk59JkeP
— UDOT Cottonwood Canyons (@UDOTcottonwoods) February 17, 2021
Interlodge is rare, usually only happening once or twice per season.
Last season it only happened once, but for 54-hours.
This is Kolton with your daily snow report for February 17, 2021. We want to thank you for your patience yesterday as Ski Patrol, Grooming, Lift Operations and our countless other team members worked to assess the storm and mountain conditions. We ask that you have additional patience this morning as our team and UDOT continues avalanche mitigation work both on the road and the mountain. We will update this report as soon as we know more about potential terrain openings. This storm continues to provide and we’ve received 16” of new snow in the last 12 hours and 27” in the last 24 hours.
– Snowbird Mountain Ops, 2/17/21
Utah’s snowpack has been extremely dangerous this season having already taken 6 lives this season.
- UAC: Full Report from the Millcreek Canyon, UT Avalanche That Killed 4 Skiers
- UAC: Full Report From the Avalanche That Killed a Skier Just Outside Park City Mountain Resort, UT
The USA just saw its deadliest avalanche cycle history with 19 avalanche deaths in 16-days and it’s not over yet.
2/16 12:03PM The Town of Alta will remain on INTERLODGE until further notice. More avalanche mitigation expected.
— Alta Central (@AltaCentral) February 16, 2021
