The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities conducted avalanche hazard reduction on Thane road just outside of Juneau according to their Facebook page. This was done to avoid a larger, unexpected one happening at a later date. A specialized blaster dubbed Daisy Bell was used during the operation to protect highways in the states from avalanches in winter. The conical shaped blaster used is suspended on a long line about 100 feet beneath a helicopter. According to a DOT fact sheet, “it packs a powerful punch large enough for triggering avalanches using a mixture of hydrogen / oxygen gas”. This machine has been used since 2018 allowing the DOT to carry out controlled avalanches with more precision and at a relatively low cost.
