The Avalanche Hour Podcast

Join us for our sixth installment of Slabs ‘n Sluff with  your hosts Sara Boilen and Dom Baker! Sara and Dom discuss the joy of powder turns in low hazard terrain, slope tests on small features and the upcoming spring skiing season.  They also review recent episodes from March and take a look at what is coming up for April on the Avalanche Hour Podcast. Tune in to hear from the ISSW 2026 organizing committee about everything to look forward to from Whistler next fall.  Sara Boilen holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Denver (2011). Professionally, she works with individuals who have had interactions with the justice system often in the spirit of helping to make sense of behavior and context. She has taken her professional interests and merged it with her recreational interests to contribute to the field of avalanche sciences in her free time. She is specifically interested in human-related problems and solutions. Dr. Boilen has presented at seven Snow and Avalanche Workshops and at ISSW in Norway. She has written articles for The Avalanche Review and was a co-author on the recently proposed conceptual framework for human factors in avalanche terrain. She lives in Northwest Montana and will carry dessert for you to the top of any mountain her skills will take her to.Dom Baker is an avalanche technician with the BC Ministry of Transportation at Kootenay Pass, occasional avalanche course instructor and adventure buddy to his kids.  Episode Summary:- Sara and Dom discuss winter weather patterns, adapting to rapidly changing ski conditions, and look ahead to spring- Review of the last month of programming, highlighting interviews that captured the hosts imagination or got us thinking- Safely poking around on small features to build a better picture of the avalanche hazard- The ISSW 2026 organizing committee drop by for a chat- A voicemail from a listener.Thanks to the sponsors of the show.Legacy Sponsors:Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial FundAVSSDrone AmplifiedPartner Sponsors:CIL AvalancheSafebackonX BackcountryMusic: KetsaArtwork: Mike Tea Production: Dom Baker, Bob Keating

Summary of the Conversation: -Exploring the societal pressures as human factor on professional athletes-Sasha shares how she balances decision making in the backcountry with a very mindful approach inclusive of her nervous system-Sasha cracks the code on the best Human Factor Hack; creating mindful presence in a meditative, naturalist inquisitive approach to the mountains.-Sasha talks about the preventative nature of choosing backcountry partners by engaging in conversations that share each others unique stress signatures and what each partner needs in high risk scenarios.  Sasha is a professional skier and meditation teacher, and the founder and director of Mountain Mind Project. She has spent her lifetime training her mind and body. Sasha has competed at the highest level of skiing and mountain biking, winning the Freeskiing World Tour and competing on the Freeride World Tour and Enduro World Series. In high school, she was invited to travel with the National Development System and race internationally in the recruitment pipeline for the U.S. Ski Team. She’s always loved the mental game. Her meditation practice grew out of her time as a competitive athlete. Sasha saw – in herself and those she loved – how accidents, trauma and life’s load can compound over a career. During years of illness and chronic pain, Sasha became a qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher by the UCSD School of Medicine MBPTI.Sasha’s style of meditation is to engage fully within the inherent risk of life, refined from her time spent in the inherent risk environment of mountains. Her mission is to normalize that the health in mental health can be cultivated – through deep relationship to self, others and the natural world from meditation practice.  Sasha is the daughter and granddaughter of Vietnam war refugees and keeps one foot planted in the Mountain West of the U.S. and the other in the Mekong of Vietnam.Thanks to the sponsors of the show.Legacy Sponsors:Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial FundAVSSDrone AmplifiedPartner Sponsors:CIL AvalancheSafebackonX BackcountryEpisode Sponsor:OpenSnowMusic: KetsaArtwork: Mike Tea Production: Caleb Merrill, Bob Keating

Join us in giving a warm welcome to Lynne Wolfe for her first official episode as a host with the Avalanche Hour Podcast as she shares a thoughtful and reflective conversation with Eric Trenbeath and Brad Meiklejohn. A lot has changed about the avalanche industry in 34 years, but one thing we will never lose is the presence of uncertainty when we make decisions in avalanche terrain. On February 12th, 1992, ⁠an avalanche occurred in the Talking Mountain Cirque of Upper Gold Basin ⁠in the La Sal Mountains of SE Utah. This accident involved six expert-level backcountry skiers and tragically claimed the lives of four: Mark Yates (contacted UAC Forecaster), Maribel Loveridge, Jeremy Hopkins, and Bill Turk. The group reflects on the terrain, snowpack, and heuristic factors that contributed to this incident, expanding these ideas to similar trends they see continuing in our community today and offering these lessons as learning opportunities for us all to bring into the mountains. The biggest takeaway: maintain a sense of wonder and be ready to be surprised by how snow behaves.About our host and guests: Lynne Wolfe is a retired Teton guide, editor of The Avalanche Review, and she teaches a few courses a season for AAI in the Pro program. She lives in Driggs, Idaho, with husband Dan Powers and the Lucky Dog. She can be influenced by offering dark chocolate, thick coffee, or hazy IPA.Brad Meiklejohn worked at the Utah Avalanche Center from 1983 - 1992. He has been Alaska State Director of The Conservation Fund since 1994.Eric Trenbeath was born and raised on the Wasatch Front. He lived and worked in Alta, Utah for 10 years starting out as a live-in cook at the Goldminer's Daughter before landing a job on the Alta Ski Patrol. Equal parts desert and mountain lover, he has worked as a UAC forecaster in the La Sal Mountains near Moab for 16 seasons (1999-2003, 2013-present). Resources mentioned in the conversation:⁠The Avalanche Review - 41.3 - Off the Bench (pg. 30)⁠Thanks to the sponsors of the show.Legacy Sponsors:Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial FundAVSSDrone AmplifiedPartner Sponsors:CIL AvalancheSafebackonX BackcountryMusic: KetsaArtwork: Mike Tea Production: Caleb Merrill, Bob Keating

Science and experience-built intuition are a composite - they are stronger together than they are separate, especially when we start to see things that we have never seen before. Join Gabrielle Antonioli and Karl Birkeland for an expansive conversation on the critical factors we weigh each day: uncertainty, decision-making scales, and a reflective discussion on how we are strongest when we embrace both sides of the avalanche industry. A snow scientist might not make the best guide if they only stay in the lab but field practitioners need a cross-referenced resource to better face & understand an increasingly dynamic and variable snowpack/climate where outliers are increasingly becoming the new normal. These thoughts are what prompted Karl to write The Starting Zone Book for practitioners, scientists, and everyone in between. Conversation Highlights:- There is uncertainty in all of our assessments, but as we better understand the science behind avalanche mechanics, we can better understand the uncertainty that remains in our assessments required to make decisions in avalanche terrain. - Science is having a structured process for your curiosity - Be a super-forecaster: comfortable with uncertainty and always looking to disprove your hypothesis- Use your intuition to tell you the snowpack is unstable - collect information that disproves your hypothesis.- Effect of temperature on dry-slab avalanche mechanics. Assumption: warmth = more reactivity? Not necessarily. About our host and guest:Gabrielle Antonioli is the current director of the Payette Avalanche Center. Her career started with simply being a curious and avid backcountry traveler—and by asking plenty of questions to Karl Birkeland and the forecasters at the GNFAC. She began as an intern at the GNFAC, and rooted a career in teaching recreational and professional avalanche education courses while completing coursework for an MS in snow science. Following that thread of curiosity and interest in snow expanded to forecasting for the Going-to-the-Sun Road, the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center, and brought her to her current position. She also manages the A3 Resilience Project.Karl Birkeland has worked with snow and avalanches for the past 45 years, including as a ski patroller, backcountry avalanche forecaster, avalanche researcher, and as the Director of the Forest Service's National Avalanche Center. After retiring from the Forest Service three years ago he set out to - in the words of a friend - ruin a perfectly good retirement by creating an electronic resource for avalanche professionals. Karl has been recognized by his peers with the American Avalanche Association's Bernie Kingery (2008) and Honorary Membership (2024) Awards.Resources mentioned in the interview:Conditions for Intuitive Expertise: A Failure to Disagree (Kahneman and Klein)The Fundamental Processes in Conventional Avalanche Forecasting (Ed LaChapelle) Scaling Issues in Snow Hydrology (Gunter Bloschl) The Starting Zone - By Karl Birkeland Thanks to the sponsors of the show.Legacy Sponsors:Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial FundAVSSDrone AmplifiedPartner Sponsors:CIL AvalancheSafebackonX BackcountryEpisode Sponsor:IPA CollectiveMusic: KetsaArtwork: Mike Tea Production: Caleb Merrill, Bob Keating

Join us for our fifth installment of Slabs ‘n Sluff with Sara Boilen and the return of co-host, Dom Baker! Sara and Dom discuss hazard forecasting and the North American Public Avalanche Danger Scale.  They also review February and take a look at what is coming up for March on the Avalanche Hour Podcast. Sara Boilen holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Denver (2011). Professionally, she works with individuals who have had interactions with the justice system often in the spirit of helping to make sense of behavior and context. She has taken her professional interests and merged it with her recreational interests to contribute to the field of avalanche sciences in her free time. She is specifically interested in human-related problems and solutions. Dr. Boilen has presented at seven Snow and Avalanche Workshops and at ISSW in Norway. She has written articles for The Avalanche Review and was a co-author on the recently proposed conceptual framework for human factors in avalanche terrain. She lives in Northwest Montana and will carry dessert for you to the top of any mountain her skills will take her to.Dom Baker is an avalanche technician with the BC Ministry of Transportation at Kootenay Pass, occasional avalanche course instructor and adventure buddy to his kids.  Episode Summary:- Discussing the differences between moderate, considerable and high avalanche danger ratings- Review of the last 6-8 weeks of programming, highlighting interviews that captured the hosts imagination or got us thinking- Recent rabbit holes worth exploring- What’s on deck for the second half of the seasonResources Mentioned in the Conversation:The Avalanche Hour Podcast 5.25: European avalanche rescuesThanks to the sponsors of the show.Legacy Sponsors:Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial FundAVSSDrone AmplifiedPartner Sponsors:CIL AvalancheSafebackonX BackcountryMusic: KetsaArtwork: Mike Tea Production: Dom Baker, Bob Keating

Caleb Merrill is back to interview Dan Abrams for a reflective conversation on a tragic avalanche accident. Tune in for a conversation that stems from the soul…. soul skiing that is, and the endless search for those perfect powder turns that brings our small community of soul skiers & riders together. Dan and Caleb center the conversation’s focus on recounting the Tunnel Creek avalanche accident that Dan was involved with back in 2012. This accident was followed by significant media coverage and quickly drew attention across the country. The New York Times eventually produced a Pulitzer Prize-winning multimedia feature called Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek about the accident, produced by reporter John Branch. Dan reflects on the lessons he learned from this event and how it has shaped his life today. He highlights that we should put greater focus on our motivations or expectations for a backcountry touring day and how we should change our plans to better align with those goals. We should also make sure we fully read and understand the public avalanche hazard bulletin before leaving the trailhead for a tour and make sure we do not let human biases veil our ability to identify red flags. Dan is a co-founder of Flylow, a ski apparel and gear brand founded in 2004 by two college friends who were self-proclaimed ‘ski bums’ that wanted to create backcountry ski pants that could hold up to the demands of the sport and terrain. Key Moments from the Conversation- Dan recounts and reflects on his involvement with the Tunnel Creek Avalanche Accident near Stevens Pass, WA back in 2012- The most important part before going into the backcountry should be fully reading the avalanche hazard bulletin and checking the excitement levels so red flags are not overlooked. - Pay attention to group size - large groups introduce heightened uncertainty. Resources Mentioned in the Conversation: Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek, New York TimesThanks to the sponsors of the show.Legacy Sponsors:Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial FundAVSSDrone AmplifiedPartner Sponsors:CIL AvalancheSafebackonX BackcountryMusic: KetsaArtwork: Mike Tea Production: Caleb Merrill, Bob Keating

Our next episode is out! Joe Stock sits down with Mik Dalpes for a conversation centered around leadership and culture in the avalanche industry. Mik grew up in Minnesota where she formed a passion for skiing. Her career includes spending time as a ski patroller, Outward Bound Instructor, Park Ranger, avalanche educator, and Avalanche Forecaster for the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center. Mik had 2 children along the way and has become very interested in what types of leaders and cultures make people thrive in the avalanche industry.Interview Highlights:- Good leaders build a culture that is healthy, which includes treating people the same, handling mistakes well, and having a good balance of confidence and humility- Women should be treated the same as any other person who has a medical condition when they are pregnant and breastfeeding- A wide variety of skills are needed to be an avalanche professional and equal value should be placed on all of these skills including emotional and social skills.Resources from the conversation:- Women and Leadership Conference- Parenting Resource - "Is it a Man's World?"Thanks to the sponsors of the show.Legacy Sponsors:Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial FundAVSSDrone AmplifiedPartner Sponsors:CIL AvalancheSafebackonX BackcountryEpisode Sponsor:Open SnowMusic: KetsaArtwork: Mike Tea Production: Caleb Merrill, Angie Lake

Be More Selective, Not More Careful: Hot Takes from the Avalanche Industry Interview Highlights:- A terrain-first avalanche education reset: clear language, fewer false certainties, better decision framing.- Real-world mentorship you can actually build: “friendtorship” structures, debrief prompts, and partner feedback that scales from rec to pro.- Inclusion that’s operational, not performative: how All In Ice Fest trains guides and changes who feels welcome (and safer) in mountain spaces.Jason Antin sits down with Kristin Arnold and Sheldon Kerr of Moxie for a candid, wide-ranging conversation that starts at All In Ice Fest at the Ouray Ice Park—and quickly moves into some very real hot takes on the snow and avalanche industry. Tune in to hear Kristin and Sheldon pull no punches as they share experience-backed perspectives on avalanche education, decision-making, and the systems we’ve built around them.Along the way, they unpack how All In has grown into a major gathering designed for BIPOC, adaptive, LGBTQ2SIA+, and neurodivergent communities—and how centering training and leadership development within those communities reshapes what access, authority, and representation can look like in the mountains.The conversation then drills into the core of their teaching philosophy: terrain management first, valuing consequence over likelihood, and acknowledging that humans are fundamentally bad at probabilistic thinking (and that this is not a moral failing). They explore “friendtorship” as a more honest alternative to the mythical mentorship pipeline, the outsized impact of short, consistent debriefs, and why being more selective consistently beats trying to be more careful in complex snowpacks.They wrap with a series of lightning-round moments—including a spirited debate on beacon harness vs. pocket carry, why avalanche accident analysis often gets overcomplicated, and each guest’s Personal Disaster Flag: the human-factor tendencies they actively manage to stay sharp in the field.About our guests:Kristin Arnold (she/her) and Sheldon Kerr (she/her), from Ridgway, CO, are the owners and lead guides of Moxie Mountain Guides.  As of spring 2025, they are 2 of 19 total women AMGA/IFMGA guides in the U.S.*  Kristin and Sheldon started Moxie in January of 2023. As Moxie, they’ve guided skiing on Chilean volcanos, taught rock climbing clinics all over the Western US, built risk management plans and forecasted avalanches for Colorado silver mines, trained US Special Forces teams in mountain skills, instructed professional avalanche courses all over the country, and worked with small businesses and national organizations to improve their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.Both Arnold and Kerr are also on the Instructor Team for the American Mountain Guide Association, staff members of the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education, and graduates of Habit Queer’s Fitness Beyond the Binary certification program. They have also completed training through Paradox Sports in working with adaptive athletes.Resources discussed in the episode: All In Ice FestMoxie Mountain GuideThanks to the sponsors of the show.Legacy Sponsors:Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial FundAVSSDrone AmplifiedPartner Sponsors:CIL AvalancheSafebackonX BackcountryEpisode Sponsor:ArvaMusic: KetsaArtwork: Mike Tea Production: Caleb Merrill, Bob Keating 

Ian McCammon, a researcher blending physics and avalanche education, and Sara Boilen, a clinical psychologist applying human factors to safety, discuss improving how teams learn from outings. They cover rolling versus after-action debriefs. They explore barriers like fatigue and shame. Practical prompts, peer leadership, and when to write observations are highlighted.

Join us for our fourth installment of Slabs ‘n Sluff with Sara Boilen and guest co-host, Sean Zimmerman-Wall! Sara and Sean review January and take a look at what is coming up for February in the Avalanche Hour Podcast. We also hear an update from Dom. Sara Boilen holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Denver (2011). Professionally, she works with individuals who have had interactions with the justice system often in the spirit of helping to make sense of behavior and context. She has taken her professional interests and merged it with her recreational interests to contribute to the field of avalanche sciences in her free time. She is specifically interested in human-related problems and solutions. Dr. Boilen has presented at seven Snow and Avalanche Workshops and at ISSW in Norway. She has written articles for The Avalanche Review and was a co-author on the recently proposed conceptual framework for human factors in avalanche terrain. She lives in Northwest Montana and will carry dessert for you to the top of any mountain her skills will take her to.Sean Zimmerman-Wall works to build connections across the avalanche community through ski patrolling, teaching and occasional guiding gigs.  Determined to leave the industry better than he found it, he believes he can grow alongside others and develop strong relationships that last.Episode Summary:- Discussing the impact of Traumatic Brain Injuries on our community members- Review of the last 6-8 weeks of programming, highlighting interviews that captured the hosts imagination or got us thinking- Digging through the mailbag for some gems- Recent rabbit holes worth exploring- What’s on deck for the second half of the season- onX Backcountry Highlight: Caleb x Andy SovickResources Mentioned in the Conversation:Fatal Occupational Injuries of Avalanche Workers in North America -Ethan Greene, et. alAssessing and Communicating Likelihood and Probability of Snow Avalanches Scott Thumlert, et. al.Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One- Dr. Joe DispenzaQuit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away- Annie DukeTBI: BasicsThanks to the sponsors of the show.Legacy Sponsors:Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial FundAVSSDrone AmplifiedPartner Sponsors:CIL AvalancheSafebackonX BackcountryMusic: KetsaArtwork: Mike Tea Production: Caleb Merrill, Bob Keating