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Guests of Utah’s Snowbird Ski Resort caught a wild surprise Tuesday afternoon while driving away from an amazing powder day. Two cars, to be exact, were “partially buried” in an avalanche that made its way through part of the resort and rolled into the parking lot.
Several videos made their way onto social media after the slide, showing the partially buried cars. Chris Leonard, a guest at Snowbird that day who was in one of the cars, uploaded footage of the aftermath and spoke to local KSL-TV about the experience. According to Leonard and another friend in their truck, the avalanche hit without them knowing or seeing it coming.
“Next thing you know, the truck starts moving, and it’s a whiteout,” said Leonard, who was in the backseat.
“It’s crazy how fast ski patrol of Snowbird and the sheriff were there right behind us, ready to help us unbury,” they added.
Got hit by an avalanche and lived to tell about it. We are lucky. @Snowbird @skiutah @KSL5TV @KUTV2News pic.twitter.com/bmesM5Zsw9
— Jp (@2investjp) March 19, 2025
You can see in the video that there was enough snow to pin doors shut and trap everybody in their cars, as well as moving the vehicles as far as 20 feet. Being inside their cars and trucks likely saved lives.
Little Cottonwood Canyon was closed as a result while debris was cleared. A photo from Utah Department of Transportation showed a long line of vehicles stalled because of the closure.
Little Cottonwood Canyon closed due to an avalanche. (Photo: Utah Department of Transportation cameras)
