16 New 'Avalanche Towers' are Coming to Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon

It's no secret that Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon is prone to avalanches.

World War II-era artillery cannons have been utilized by ski areas and state officials to remotely trigger avalanches for decades, but the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is preparing for a new era.

UDOT recently announced that they're installing sixteen new 'Wyssen Avalanche Towers' on Mt. Superior, directly across from Alta Ski Area. Construction is expected to begin on July 8th, 2024 and finish in time for the Winter '24/'25 season.

The Wyssen Towers are part of a new wave of avalanche mitigation technology that allows officials to remotely trigger slides without firing a live artillery round over houses, buildings, and roads.

The towers, which are installed in known avalanche-prone areas, contain a magazine of explosives that once deployed, hang just above the ground before exploding. The result, if successful, is a remotely triggered avalanche with significantly less risk than one triggered using military long-range weaponry.

The embedded video below shows an operator triggering an avalanche using a Wyssen tower.

“This project is part of UDOT’s long-term plan to reduce the amount of military artillery fired in the canyon,” UDOT Avalanche Safety Program Manager Steven Clark said. “By using this technology, we will enhance safety and become even more effective at preventing avalanches from reaching our roads”.

Winter '22/'23 was historic in terms of snowfall, and while that led to an endless supply of thigh-deep powder days for Alta and Snowbird skiers, it also meant more avalanche mitigation work for UDOT. A record-breaking 98 avalanches reached SR-210 which led to 34 full closures of the road.

In summary, UDOT is investing in new technology to ensure that many road closures and unplaned avalanches never happen again.

Wyssen Towers are becoming more prevalent across North America since the first ones were installed in Little Cottonwood Canyon in 2017.

Just next door in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Solitude Mountain Resort has four Wyssen Towers that mitigate avalanches along 'Fantasy Ridge'.

UDOT is asking all hikers and climbers to respect the area closure while construction crews are working. There will be active helicopters, potential rockfalls, and other hazards that are best avoided entirely.

Related: Editor's Picks #1: Top Ski News From Last Week

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