Multiple avalanches closed Little Cottonwood Canyon on Friday, along with the Alta and Snowbird ski resorts.
Three naturally occurring avalanches buried the road near the entrance to Snowbird, another near Tanners Flat and a third near White Pine, according to the Utah Department of Transportation. The avalanche by Snowbird left 8 to 9 feet of snow for crews to clear.
The canyon was closed to travel so UDOT could do avalanche control work. It is expected to reopen by Saturday at 10 a.m.
A tweet posted on the account of Carvit, a outdoor recreation “lifestyle brand” based in Murray, included video taken by Mac Charval of an avalanche rolling over vehicles in the Alta parking lot.
The town of Alta was also placed on interlodge — meaning residents were required to stay indoors — because of the conditions.
In neighboring Big Cottonwood Canyon, only motorists with chains or four-wheel drive were allowed up Friday morning.
Another avalanche also temporarily closed U.S. Highway 89 in Logan Canyon on Friday afternoon. The road was shut off between Woodcamp Campground and Temple Fork (the Dugway). During the closure, many skiers at Beaver Mountain had to drive hours around the barricade to leave the resort.
—Salt Lake Tribune reporter Courtney Tanner contributed to this story.
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