UDOT urges powder hounds to follow canyon rules

ALTA, Utah — (KUTV) - As skiers and snowboarders head to the mountains to take advantage of the fresh powder, the UDOT Avalanche Safety crew has some important reminders.

Program Manager Bill Nalli said his team is running into a number of problems with crowds at the base of the mountain.

When the snowstorm first hit on Monday, Nalli said several hundred people flocked to the mountain to beat road closures as early as 6 a.m.

Many of these skiers weren’t aware of the rules.

“A lot of those people didn’t understand they couldn’t stay in their cars.

When we do avalanche control work we have to close and clear all the areas that are threatened,” Nalli said.

Under county ordinance, people must be inside a building while crews are out working. UDOT uses explosives to help trigger avalanches, which can be major a safety threat to people in the area.

Nalli said UDOT also ran into other issues with people sleeping in their cars overnight.

Often backcountry skiers will camp overnight to get an early start down the slopes.

“We made a sweep through the area and thought it was clear and we began control work. They woke up and shook themselves out of their vehicles and were in the runout zones of avalanche paths while we were shooting artillery,” Nalli said.

Camping overnight is not allowed up at Alta. UDOT said it’s important skiers follow the rules.

“It’s about keeping people out of harm’s way,” he said.

You can follow UDOT Canyon closures and updates on Twitter and on their website.