Ski Resort Setting Off Avalanche to Keep Skiers Safe
LAS VEGAS -- Lee Canyon has fresh powder, and hundreds of skiers have been testing the slopes at the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort.
However, many of them don't know an avalanche will happen on those slopes in a few days. While it sounds dangerous, it will be a man-made avalanche when no one is around.
The safety managers of the resort make the difficult climb through the steep terrain of Lee Canyon about three times a week to several areas of the resort and start digging.
They test the snow's strength and measure the layers of snowfall to make sure a natural avalanche doesn't happen on their watch.
"I see three, for sure, definitive layers," snow safety manager Greg French said.
In the past couple weeks, about two feet has fallen.
"Snow doesn't have to be deep to cause an avalanche, it just has to be a certain recipe," French said.
