The Avalanche Hour Podcast

In this installment of The Avalanche Hour Podcast; Wes Gregg interviews Erin Tierney the President of the CSGA as the second installment of the 'Who is the ACMG? Who is the CSGA? Erin has worked in the avalanche industry since 1997 mainly as a heli ski guide and instructor for the CSGI. Lately she has enjoyed exploring the different arms of the avalanche industry as a forecaster, avalanche tech an...

In this episode, Wes Gregg has a chat with ACMG Technical Director, Mike Adolph. This conversation is based on the concept of providing listeners an opportunity to hear directly from the source how the Technical Assessment Program works and the history of the ACMG. Mike Adolph is a ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide and also the current ACMG Technical Director. He's currently residing in Alberta splitting...

Simon Trautman grew up running around in hay fields outside of Lander, Wyoming. Following a stint as a US Navy Corpsman, he earned a BS in Geology at Western Washington University and an MS in Earth Science from Montana State University. His research focused on wet snow avalanche phenomena. He has worked as an avalanche forecaster for the Moonlight Basin Ski Patrol, the Colorado Avalanche Informat...

Jenna works at Alta as a part time ski patroller, at Powderbird Heli Skiing as a tailguide, and as an instructor for the American Avalanche Institute. She also works as a PA in Neurosurgery, Trauma, and Critical Care at Intermountain Medical Center. She is a council member for the newly incorporated Town of Brighton in Big Cottonwood Canyon, and has spent multiple seasons on Denali as a medical pr...

Episode 7.10 In Episode 7.10, I sit down with Garrett and Joe from Propagation Labs. Propagation Labs carries the torch of the work that these two helped out with during their time as engineers at Avatech. Joe and Garrett talk about the history of snow penetrometers in modern day snow science and the evolution of their product, the Snow Scope. They share their ideas on the utilization of the Snow...

In Episode 7.10, Sean Zimmerman - Wall interviews Anna Keeling. Anna goes deep in this episode about her experiences as a mountain guide, shifting industry culture, living your values, and connecting with the wild environs we hold so dear. Anna is an IFMGA guide from Christchurch, New Zealand. Home is now Kura Tawhiti/Castle Hill Village (NZ) and Salt Lake City, Utah. Mother of one and owner/opera...

I sat down with the authors and editor of the latest volume of The Snowy Torrents book. This book chronicles avalanche accidents that occurred in the US during the decade of 1986-1996. We discuss how the book can be used as a learning tool, highlight some accidents, and discuss how our way of looking at these accidents has evolved over time. Audience members contributed some great questions along...

In Episode 7.9 of the Avalanche Hour podcast, Matthias Walcher and Paul Dobesberger from the Austrian Association for Snow and Avalanches talk to Walter Steinkogler, the COO of Wyssen Avalanche Control about avalanche mitigation strategies in Europe and North America. Also, Christoph Mitterer from the AWS Tyrol gives us the latest conditions report on snowpack and avalanche danger in the Alps. We...

Episode 7.8 features and interview with Patty Morrison. Patty has been a long time ski patroller, avalanche forecaster, and avalanche educator at Stevens Pass Ski Resort in Washington. We chat about Patty's path of her career in ski area avalanche forecasting. She explains some of the terrain, weather, and snowpack nuances of Steven's Pass and highlights some of her research on wind loading patter...

Host Dom Baker is back with Episode 5.6! We get a great early season update from Grant Helgeson of Avalanche Canada. Following that, Dom sits down with Tyson Rettie. Tyson is a ski guide and avalanche professional. He got his start in the avalanche industry as a tail guide at Big Red Cats at the age of 19. He currently works as an avalanche forecaster at Avalanche Canada as well as the founder and...

In this episode, Caleb sits down with Jared Drake, Steven Siig, and Jim Plehn. Jared and Steve are co-producers and co-directors of the recently released documentary Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche. Jim Plehn was an avalanche forecaster for Alpine Meadows Ski Resort during this time. We chat about some of the details of this tragic event including weather, terrain, snowpack, and human fa...

In this episode, I sit down with Jordy Shepherd. Jordy is an ACMG/IFMGA mountain guide and CAA Professional Member based in Canmore, Alberta. In his diverse career he has worked as a BC Park Ranger, National Park Warden and Visitor Safety Specialist, Independent Guide/Instructor, Operations Manager and Lead Guide, and Consultant. Jordy has been involved with the CAA AvSAR training program since it...

Jeremy Hanke sits down to chat the state of motorized avalanche education in North America. He has long been a vocal member of the snowmachine community, often bridging conversations between user groups with the single goal of reducing avalanche fatalities. Jeremy talks about his own experiences in a couple different avalanches that happened early in his career. We chat about how far motorized ava...

This episode features an interview with Eddie Schoen. Eddie is an IFMGA Mountain Guide and accounting/project manager for Wyssen Avalanche Control (US). Eddie and I chat about a variety of topics- including comparisons of his risk management process when backcountry skiing with clients compared to when he is skiing with his personal partners. We also chat about his recent experience taking a CAA O...

Mike Welch is a ski patroller, heli-ski guide, owner and guide of Sundog Ski Guides, father, and friend to all. I sat down with Welch at the end of the 2022 ski season to chat about his path, thoughts on producing operational avalanche forecasts, risk tolerance, and much more. I hope you enjoy this episode. Music by Ketsa www.ketsa.uk Mike's Bio: Mike Welch has spent most of his life working on sn...

Episode 6.25 features Nikki Champion- an avalanche forecaster with the Utah Avalanche Center. Nikki grew up skiing on the icy hills of Michigan, but transitioned out west as quickly as possible. She earned a BS in Civil Engineering from Montana State University, during that time she worked as an educator for the Friends of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center, as a research assistant in t...

Episode 6.24 features Fred Alldredge. Fred is a lead guide for Ruby Mountain Heli Skiing, he is a helicopter and air tanker base manager for wildland fire incidents, he is a safety coordinator for Antartic Logistics and Expeditions, and he has been a guide on high altitude Himalayan expeditions. Fred talks about his relationship to risk, and the application of risk management in these different av...

In this episode Dom Baker sits down with Graeme Marshall, Mitch Ryan, and Laura Waterer. Graeme Marshall lives in Nelson, BC with his wife and their three great teenage kids. He is a BC Certified Teacher and a Professional Member of the Canadian Avalanche Association. Graeme’s inspiration for creating the Adventure Tourism Leadership and Safety (ATLAS) Academy developed over years of working as an...

Spring is in full bloom but you are still thinking snow? You think a bike is best put to use to approach some late season ski touring this time of year? Perfect- because this podcast requires some devotion as it dives into the depths of avalanche research. Two of the most cutting edge researchers in the field, Johan Gaume and Bertil Trottet, uncover their newest findings on crack propagation and a...

On this week's episode, we talk with Matt Entz, owner of Mountain Skillz alongside his wife Jesse in South Fork, Colorado (Wolf Creek). Matt specializes in off-trail technical mountain snowmobiling instruction and motorized avalanche education. He just completed 10th season of operation. Additionally, Matt traveled the midwest and mountain west the past 2 falls presenting on behalf of the Avalanch...

In this installment of The Avalanche Hour Podcast; Wes Gregg sits down on a Zoom call with 31 year SAR veteran Dave Merritt. Dave wears so many hats in the northern British Columbia area. From being a coordinator of the SAR winter response team, to being a Field Technician on the Northern Rockies Avalanche Canada team, to managing the BC Parks avalanche program and more. We try to talk about it al...

In this episode, I have a great conversation with Brooke "Shiny" Edwards. Brooke talks about her career as a ski guide and avalanche educator...The good times and the challenging times. She reflects on what has become most important to her when guiding and teaching people in the mountains. Shiny talks about her time guiding and forecasting in Japan, Valdez, and beyond. Music by Ketsa. www.wildworl...

I sit down with Ian Reddell in this episode. Skiing Ian is what we call him. Ian is the Avalanche Mitigation Manager at Solitude Mountain Resort. I had the good fortune to work with Ian while I was ski patrolling at Solitude, and he has been a mentor to me throughout my career in the snow and avalanche world. We chat about Solitude's avalanche mitigation program and techniques for managing and ope...

In this episode, guest host Sean ZImmerman Wall sits down with Hector Silva Peralta. Hector is an ACMG Apprentice Ski guide based in Chile, living the endless winter between Chile, Canada and Alaska. Héctor grew up in the mountains , close to portillo ski resort, where he started skiing at a very young age. His longtime commitment to the heli-ski, backcountry skiing, and avalanche industries has g...

In episode 6.16, I sit down with Frank Carus. The (now) former director of the Mount Washington Avalanche center talks about his career and experiences working in the presidential range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The MWAC is one of two US National Forest Avalanche Centers that hold the responsibility of responding to rescues within their forecast area. Frank recounts a couple unfortu...