As skiers hit the slopes, they enjoy the freshly fallen powder that's come with a record snowfall year. One group also was able to witness a massive avalanche just outside Sundance Resort in Utah. The video, shared on Twitter and Tiktok, shows snow rambling down the mountainside, with the powder cloud reaching the skiers.
@was.once.there Sundance Ski Resort in Utah today. #utah #sundance #avalanche #accident #utahsnow #sundanceskiressort ? Oh No - Kreepa
Monday's avalanche originated on Mount Timpanogos in the "Middle Finger" area. Snow flew through the air for hundreds of yards, hitting onlookers with a wall of snow spray.
While avalanches are sometimes triggered on purpose in the mountains, this particular one happened naturally. According to the Utah Avalanche Center, the avalanche originated at 9,600 feet, bringing down fresh powder. Thankfully, there were no injuries. Crews were working on avalanche mitigation by Deer Creek Reservoir, which resulted in U. S. Highway 189 being closed for a couple of hours.
Sundance Resort tweeted, "Today there was a natural avalanche that started on Mount Timpanogos and carried down the mountain into an area outside our ski area boundaries. Footage shows the dust/wind cloud reaching guests who were watching, but no one was hurt as deposition area never reached our boundaries."
The resort continued in an additional tweet, "We remained open all day and hope you will join us tomorrow for more amazing skiing and boarding. We are very grateful for our amazing ski patrol who work so hard to ensure our mountain is safe."
This has been a record snow year for many resorts. Year to date, Sundance has seen 452 inches of snowfall, while Brighton Resort has seen 703 inches of snowfall. While Sundance isn't considered one of the major ski resorts, it has plenty of skiable powder with 5,000 acres of fun. The resort is also home to the famous Sundance Film Festival, started by Robert Redford and now held by the Sundance Institute. The resort features a variety of trails, including 20 percent beginner, 40 percent intermediate, and 40 percent advanced.
