UDOT crews catch skiers in backcountry area closed for avalanche work

LITTLE COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah — While doing maintenance work on their remote avalanche control systems, Utah Department of Transportation crews came across two skiers. The backcountry area above Alta Ski Resort had been closed all morning and no one was allowed to recreate in that terrain during the closure.

“At the end of the day, it’s your safety that we are trying to protect,” said UDOT spokesperson John Gleason.

“You’ve got to pay attention and stay out of the closure area.”

UDOT is urging everyone to obey backcountry closures after they caught two skiers in an area they shouldn’t have been.
At 10, what crews were working on when they ran into those skiers in the closed area @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/wvRzFdEXx6

— Ashley Moser (@AshleyMoser) February 1, 2023

Gleason said the area, know as Toledo, is prone to having avalanches, which is why crews do regular maintenance on the equipment there.

“Had this been a situation where we were firing off explosives, that is work that would have had to been put on the back burner if we see skiers in the backcountry in that closure area,” Gleason said.

Information about the closure, along with a map of the area, had been posted on UDOT’s social channels the day before. 

UDOT is reminding all of us to regularly monitor their website and social media sites if we plan to head into the backcountry.