SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) is launching its seventh annual Avalanche Awareness Week on Dec. 1, bringing a slate of statewide safety events — including two in Logan — aimed at helping Utahns prepare for winter backcountry conditions. The weeklong effort was established by the Utah Legislature in 2019 through H.B. 380, which designated the first week of December each year as Avalanche Awareness Week.
Events kick off Monday, Dec. 1, with a free public gathering at Sugarhouse Park in Salt Lake City, featuring practice rescue drills, wilderness first-aid lessons, kids’ activities and demonstrations from emergency responders and avalanche rescue dogs.
For Northern Utah residents, Logan will host two of the week’s key activities:
• “Pray For Snow” — Dec. 2 at The Cache, Logan (6–10 p.m.)
• Know Before You Go avalanche safety presentation — Dec. 3 at Utah State University (7–8 p.m.)
Both events are designed to give Cache Valley recreationists — including students, snowmobilers, skiers and backcountry riders — direct access to safety information and practical instruction from avalanche professionals.
The UAC says Avalanche Awareness Week is intended to “save lives through avalanche education,” noting that Utah leads the nation in winter backcountry outreach. The center provides avalanche forecasting for eight regions statewide, including the Logan zone, which also covers portions of southeastern Idaho.
Throughout the week, UAC educators will emphasize core safety practices: checking daily avalanche forecasts, traveling with partners, carrying a beacon, shovel and probe, and knowing how to use them. “Gear will help find you, but your partners will save your life,” the center notes in its safety guidance.
The week concludes with the 18th annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW) on Dec. 7th at the University of Utah, bringing together experts for case studies and presentations in the Salt Lake Valley. A separate USU Beacon Clinic is also planned in Logan on Dec. 13, offering hands-on rescue training through the USU Outdoor Program.
The UAC is also launching its annual Batteries for Beacons program, offering free transceiver batteries at participating retailers from Dec. 1 through Feb. 1, 2026, along with drawings for avalanche rescue gear.
More information and a full calendar of events are available on the Utah Avalanche Center’s website.