Industry News
Mount Superior in Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon is going to look a bit different next winter.
Beginning this month, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) will be transitioning from using military artillery to a more advanced and safer method for controlling avalanches in Little Cottonwood Canyon. KUTV reports that starting July 8, UDOT will start installing 16 Wyssen Avalanche Towers along the Mount Superior ridgeline. This new system, expected to be operational by October, will use wireless technology to deploy explosives and trigger controlled avalanches, thereby replacing the outdated practice of using howitzers,
The Wyssen Avalanche Towers aim to improve safety and efficiency by allowing UDOT crews to control avalanches remotely. This advancement marks a significant step in UDOT’s strategy to minimize the use of military artillery in the canyon. By using this technology, UDOT will enhance safety and become even more effective at preventing avalanches from Highway 210 which runs through Little Cottonwood Canyon, according to a statement from UDOT Avalanche Safety Program Manager Steven Clark.
While the initiative is geared towards improving safety, it has sparked mixed reactions among local skiers and snowboarders. Among them is pro snowboarder Juan Peon Bakers, the second person to complete the Chuting Gallery—a renowned collection of steep, challenging ski descents in the Wasatch Range. Bakers expressed his concern over the new infrastructure, remarking over text message,
“Mount Superior has shaped me as a snowboarder and as a person. The first time I rode it convinced me to move to Salt Lake City and as the years have passed and my skill set has evolved, it’s continued to provide me with life-changing runs. It’s hard to imagine 16 industrial-looking towers bolted into the summit of a mountain I hold so dear. This is the hard truth of the direction we are headed here in Salt Lake City. I still love it but I do wonder when the breaking point will be when the mountains become so developed I will no longer want to be in them.”
Starting next week, the project will be carried out seven days a week from sunrise to sunset, weather permitting. It includes removing loose rocks and soil, with heavy equipment being airlifted into the canyon by helicopter, according to KUTV. While UDOT has said that major road closures are not planned during construction, anyone traveling in the area should expect occasional short-term closures on State Route 210 near the Town of Alta. Additionally, the Mount Superior Recreation Area, including its trails and climbing areas, will remain closed until the project’s completion in October.
As the installation progresses, the community remains divided. On the one side, modern safety measures that are designed to better serve the skiing community are being implemented and can be seen as a positive thing. On the other, the desire to preserve the natural beauty and experience of a natural setting such as Little Cottonwood Canyon is threatened by the very obvious, unnatural, metallic-looking avalanche towers. Can a balance be found?
