How a Utah Ski Resort Uses Remote Control Explosives To Keep Skiers Safe

Solitude Mountain Resort, Utah, is showing off one of the newer techniques it’s using to control avalanches: Wyssen Towers. 

Set to a fitting techno soundtrack, the video, shared to social media over the weekend, shows the towers firing and setting off cascades of snow.

Tap or click to watch the video below, and keep reading to learn more about Wyssen Towers.

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The Wyssen Towers shown in the video were installed over the summer at Solitude Mountain Resort’s Fantasy Ridge.

Manufactured by the Swiss company Wyssen, these towers are considered Remote Avalanche Control Systems, or RACS. 

Unlike one of the traditional control methods of hand charges thrown by humans, Wyssen Towers are operated remotely. The ski resort sends a command to the system. Then, the tower drops a bundle of explosives.

When the explosives detonate, they can trigger avalanches, making the area below and near the towers safer to ski after the snow settles. The towers can be reloaded by helicopter.

According to a blog post shared by Solitude Mountain Resort, the Wyssen Towers make the mitigation process more efficient and safer for ski patrollers, who no longer have to visit avalanche terrain themselves. They’re particularly helpful at the Utah ski resort, where almost 75% of the slopes are impacted by avalanches.

Other mountains and agencies throughout the West and the rest of the world have adopted and used Wyssen Towers for some time. 

Last summer, Alta Ski Area, Utah, added to its RACS fleet with four new Wyssen Towers between the far wall of Devil's Castle and Sugarloaf Peak.

In 2024, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) announced that it had installed Wyssen Towers on Mt. Superior above SR-210, the avalanche-prone road that accesses Alta Ski Area and Snowbird.

The agency noted that the towers will help it move away from a different, historic version of remote avalanche control in Little Cottonwood Canyon: military howitzers. 

Wyssen Towers are one of many RACS types. Another kind, Gazex, uses a mixture of propane and oxygen to create shockwaves and release avalanches.

Related: Dog and Skier Swept Away by Large Avalanche