UAC launches Avalanche Awareness Week with local training opportunities

A natural avalanche slid near Snowbird Resort on April 6, 2023. Photo: Utah Avalanche Center.

PARK CITY, Utah — The Utah Avalanche Center is hosting its annual Avalanche Awareness Week, complete with activities across the state, including two here in Park City. 

With one early-season, human-triggered avalanche already reported in the Red Pine area of Little Cottonwood Canyon, avalanches are “officially on the menu,” according to UAC. UAC encourages recreationalists to arm themselves with knowledge and practice potentially life-saving avalanche safety and rescue skills before heading into the backcountry this ski season.

Pinebrook Beacon Park Opening

UAC will celebrate the Pinebrook Beacon Park’s 2025-26 season opening on December 4 with a community event running from 4-6 p.m. Attendees will get to practice their beacon-searching skills and talk to UAC staff about avalanche safety in the backcountry. 

The Pinebrook Beacon Park opened February 2024, offering the community a free resource to train beacon locating skills before heading into the back country. Public use of the park is free throughout the season. 

Community Avalanche Rescue Practice at Woodward Park City

As part of Woodward Park City’s December Play Forever Friday series, UAC will be hosting a hands-on avalanche rescue practice on December 12 from 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Guests will have the opportunity to rub beacon search drills, learn essential rescue skills, and receive safety resources and avalanche awareness materials. Those attending will get a $35 Woodward pass for the evening, and 15 percent of sales will be donated back to UAC.

Check out the full list of events throughout Utah

• December 2nd – Pray For Snow, The Cache, Logan
• December 3rd – The Mindset Shift, Presented by Blue Ice, Lone Pine, Salt Lake City
• December 4th – Community Avalanche Rescue Practice, Pinebrook, Park City
• December 6th – Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW), Wasatch Jr. High, Salt Lake City
• December 12th – Community Avalanche Rescue Practice, Woodward Park City (anyone attending gets $35 Woodward passes!)
• December 13th – Winter Kick-Off, Moab Arts and Recreation Center (The MARC), Moab