LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah — Just one day after the first snowfall of autumn 2022, an avalanche occurred in one of Utah's canyons and was apparently human-caused.
The Utah Avalanche Center posted a photo of the slide on social media Sunday afternoon.
"No injuries reported, but a good wake-up call!" UAC wrote.
The avalanche happened in Little Cottonwood Canyon near the "Main Chute" of Mt. Baldy.
UAC forecaster Mark Staples said strong winds drifted the snow, which created a slab.
He added that people going into the backcountry for recreation tend to seek out places with the deepest snow and best coverage, but these areas often have more wind potential and a higher chance of triggering a slide.
On Saturday, avalanche forecasters with the UAC issued an announcement that such incidents could happen as snow began falling in Utah's mountains, canyons and other high-elevation areas.
"Avalanches are definitely possible, and it doesn't matter what time of year it is," the forecast read. "It doesn't matter what you're doing - going for a hike, hunting, trying to ski or board, or snowshoe; be prepared for avalanches. The main issue will be fresh deposits of wind-drifted snow that could produce slab avalanches. However, in some places where 2-3 feet of snow may accumulate, the new snow alone may produce soft slab avalanches or sluffs of new snow."
The UAC provides education, forecasts, information on each incident, and more. These resources for avalanche awareness and preparedness can be found on the center's website.
So far, no areas of the state have yet been classified with an avalanche "danger rating."
