The Caltrans Avalanche Team was at Echo Summit Monday for a routine test on their Gazex system which is in place on the mountain.
A message went out on twitter for those that follow @TahoeRoads, advising people of a loud bang that would happen. “if you hear a loud bang in a few minutes, it’s not NYE again,” the tweet said. “Caltrans testing avalanche control cannon off Hwy 50.”
There is a video attached to this story that shows a demonstration on how this sytem works for avalanche control. The chambers of the Gazex remotely shoot compressed air into the snow.