Wyssen Avalanche Towers Protect Alta Ski Area

Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC) and Alta Ski Area have a long history of avalanche mitigation. Utah State Route 210 is threatened by numerous avalanche paths as it weaves its way to Snowbird, the town of Alta, and Alta Ski Area. Today, with the ever-increasing popularity of skiing, there is frequently bumper to bumper traffic during the winter season. Avalanche professionals in LCC have a lot of pressure to keep the road and ski slopes open. The use of artillery for avalanche mitigation in the United States was started by Monty Atwater in Little Cottonwood Canyon in 1949. Since then, avalanche specific technologies have been developed worldwide, and utilized in LCC to perform avalanche mitigation missions. The first Wyssen Avalanche Tower in the United States was installed across the highway from Alta Ski Area by the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT). Alta Ski Area, UDOT, and Snowbird currently use howitzers to release avalanches. The U.S. military However, the U.S. military recommends that the avalanche gun program look for new equipment and ammunition, seek new solutions for avalanche mitigation.