Gilles Valade, Avalanche Canada’s Executive Director, Reflects on the Organization’s Recent Closure

The last day you could read a current avalanche forecast for any part of Canada was Monday, March 30. Avalanche Canada went dark after that, shuttering its social media and information-sharing network as well as its forecasting one month early, all in an attempt to discourage backcountry recreation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus shut […]

Mountain Skills: Jill Fredston on 20 years of education, safety and snow science

Jill Fredston, 56, is a longtime avalanche forecaster and educator in Alaska who coauthored “Snow Sense” with her husband and fellow avalanche guru, Doug Fesler. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation on 20 years of education, safety and snow science.

Mountain Skills: Bruce Tremper on 20 years of education, safety and snow science

Bruce Tremper, 61, has been director of the Utah Avalanche Center since 1986 and is the author of the seminal book “Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain.” Here’s an excerpt from our conversation on 20 years of education, safety and snow science.

Mountain Skills: Brian Lazar on 20 years of education, safety and snow science

Brian Lazar, 40, is the deputy director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center and the former executive director of AIARE. He is based in Boulder, Colorado. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation on 20 years of education, safety and snow science.

Mountain Skills: Manuel Genswein on 20 years of education, safety and snow science

Manuel Genswein, 40, is a native of the Swiss Alps who lives in Meilen and has done snow-safety work in 29 countries. Using an electronic engineering background, he has also developed rescue products and techniques that have been applied around the world. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation on 20 years of education, safety and snow science.

Mountain Skills: Ilya Storm on 20 years of education, safety and snow science

Ilya Storm, 50, is the forecast coordinator for Avalanche Canada. Storm lives in Revelstoke, B.C., just down the road from Rogers Pass. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation on 20 years of education, safety and snow science.

Mountain Skills: Karl Birkeland on 20 years of education, safety and snow science

Karl Birkeland, 51, is a longtime avalanche forecaster and director of the U.S. Forest Service National Avalanche Center in Bozeman, Montana. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation on 20 years of education, safety and snow science.

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