Bridal Veil Falls avalanche debris detonated for safety
Jun 7, 2023, 3:20 PM
The avalanche debris field at Bridal Veil Falls became too attractive to thrill-seekers, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office, which used explosives to detonate it on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Photo: Adam Small/KSL NewsRadio
PROVO, Utah — A huge chunk of snow and avalanche debris hanging over the Provo River at Bridal Veil Falls was destroyed on Wednesday by explosives.
The move by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office comes after a teen posted an Instagram video last week. In it, the teen was seen jumping through a hole in the avalanche debris slab into the Provo River.
After that, getting rid of the avalanche debris became a priority.
Avalanche debris removal a matter of safety
“You get this span of ice and snow deposit and debris out of the way, then there is one less thing to tempt people that want to get into or play around the river,” Sgt. Spencer Cannon, with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, told KSL.
Crews work to remove the avalanche debris field at Bridal Veil Falls on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Photo: Adam Small/KSL NewsRadio
Cannon said one of the things that made the area so dangerous was the sheer uncertainty.
You think you are standing on 15 feet of avalanche deposit. You may be standing on 2 inches of avalanche deposit with a 15-foot cavern underneath. If that 2 inches gives way and you fall, you may fall on the rocks or on the river.”
The falls will likely be closed for another month according to Cannon, as there is still snow and debris on each side of the river.
