Alta, UT, Report: Greetings from Altaska Report from Tuesday, February 28th, 2023 Alta Ski Area has received 573″ of snowfall this season and it’s still not March. The resort is literally stacked with snow. Terrain features are so snowed over and pillowy that you’d swear you were somewhere in Alaska and not the Wasatch. Greetings from Altaska. Alta’s interlodge ordinance was lifted at 9:33 am this […] Conditions Report Martin Kuprianowicz | February 28, 2023 0 Comments
Wasatch Mountains, UT, Report: Amazing Powder to Heinous Avalanche Debris in Little Cottonwood Canyon Report from Thursday, January 12, 2023 The top was blower. The bottom half—not so much. Connor and I went for a walk in upper Little Cottonwood Canyon yesterday for the first sunny day after a 40″ storm cycle. The conditions were glorious: warm and sunny weather with mild winds and great powder up high. It felt like spring but with […] Conditions Report Martin Kuprianowicz | January 13, 2023 0 Comments
Skier Caught, Carried, and Seriously Injured by Avalanche in Low Elevation Terrain in Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT Two skiers were exiting a drainage in low elevation, north-facing terrain in Little Cottonwood Canyon on Tuesday when one of them was caught, carried, and partially buried by an avalanche. The skier was reported to have been seriously injured, with search and rescue teams having to evacuate them from the mountainside, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC has […] Avalanche AvyBrains | December 15, 2022 1 Comment
Wasatch Range, UT Report: 3,300-Feet of Almost-Corn Skiing Down One of Little Cottonwood Canyon’s Best Chutes Report from Wednesday, March 23, 2022 Little Pine ain’t little. The south-facing roadside chute is one of Little Cottonwood’s best, and Andrew McLean, author of The Chuting Gallery, described it as: “The finest chute proper on the north side of the canyon due to its uninterrupted, perfectly straight fall line.” Hence why McLean gave the line three stars—the highest ranking […] Backcountry Martin Kuprianowicz | March 23, 2022 1 Comment
Wasatch Range, UT Report: Heaven is a 5,000-Foot Untouched, Blower Powder Run Report from Tuesday, March 1, 2022 10 miles, nine hours, 5 grand of elevation gain, and two world-class ski descents later, we were back to Highway 210 right as the sun had dipped below the horizon. The three of us were tired, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell from the mega smiles plastered across each one of our […] Trip Report Martin Kuprianowicz | March 2, 2022 0 Comments
Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT Report: A Steep, Sun-Crusted Descent Down The South Face Report from January 11, 2022 “A blonde bitch, beautiful and vicious.” That’s how Montgomery Atwater, one of Alta’s first snow rangers and the father of avalanche research in the United States, referred to 11,045-foot-tall Mount Superior. Looking at Mount Superior from the town of Alta at the end of the road in Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon, it’s the first thing […] Backcountry Martin Kuprianowicz | January 12, 2022 0 Comments
25-Year-Old Rock Climber Killed in Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT Fall An experienced climber was rock climbing in Little Cottonwood Canyon on Sunday when he pulled on a loose rock, fell from the climb, and was crushed by rocks—one of which was the size of a small car. Unified Police officers were called to the area of the Gate Buttress at about 1:15 pm, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Upon arrival […] CragBrains | October 12, 2021 0 Comments
Record-Breaking Number of Public Comments Could Postpone Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT Traffic Options A record-breaking 13,000 comments were submitted to the Utah Department of Transportation during the public comment period for the environmental impact statement on how to mitigate traffic in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Josh Van Jura, project manager for UDOT, says the number tops the department’s previous record for public comments on other significant projects by nearly 10,000 submissions, according to Deseret […] Industry News Martin Kuprianowicz | September 15, 2021 4 Comments