The Avalanche Hour Podcast

Just a quick Holiday Greeting from all of us at The Avalanche Hour Podcast, ok...let's be honest- It's really just me.....and Arlo the dog. Oh- And listen to this to see how you can win a pair of Black Diamond Legend Gloves. Check it!

Part 2- the conclusion- of Episode 2.6 with Jake Thelen and Sam Kapacinskas recount rescue efforts, communication confusion, and the aftermath of The Birthday Chutes Avalanche.

On December 19th, 2016 in the White Pine drainage of Little Cottonwood Canyon, UT, two friends triggered a large deep slab avalanche as the sun was setting on the far side of the Salt Lake Valley. Tune in as we interview survivors Jake Thelen and Sam Kapacinskas as they share their story of a very bad day in the backcountry.

In episode 2.5 you will hear from Pete Gompert- a design engineer from Black Diamond and Craig Gordon- a forecaster from the Utah Avalanche Center. Pete talks about the Black Diamond Jet Force Airbag packs and how he helped to come up with the concept of using a fan to inflate an airbag pack. We then sit down with Craig to talk about his career within the professional avalanche arena. We especially highlight the work that Craig has done to help start and develop the Know Before You Go program, that has helped bring free avalanche education to thousands of people around the world. Enjoy! Don't forget to enter our contest to win a pair of Black Diamond Guide Gloves- Find out details at www.theavalanchehour.com

In Episode 2.4, we hear from Scott Savage about a great project he is working on with the help of Bill Williamson and Ethan Greene. It is the long awaited unveiling of the Avalanche Near Miss database that will hopefully create a safer culture within the professional avalanche community. We then turn inward as we hear from Nancy Bockino of Jackson Hole, WY as she talks about embracing being human in the avalanche environment. Hope you enjoy!!

In the third episode this season, we travel east of the Rockies. We chat with a snow ranger from Mt. Washington Avalanche Center in New Hampshire. Helon Hoffer grew up hiking and skiing in the White Mountains. He explains his journey to finding his job as a snow ranger and avalanche forecaster. We talk about the intricacies of micro scale forecasting for a busy- and windy zone.

In episode 2, we talk to IFMGA guide, avalanche educator, and writer Joe Stock about slowing down to make better decisions, learning from our mistakes, and managing uncertainty in avalanche terrain. Check out Joe's website at www.stockalpine.com to read his blogs, hire him as a guide, or buy his book, The Alaska Factor 2. We also hear an update from AIARE's executive director, Richard Bothwell regarding Pro courses for this winter.

Welcome to season 2! In our first episode, I highlight an interview with Bill Nalli of Utah Department of Transportation. Bill is the Highway Avalanche Safety Program Manager for UDOT, and we discuss many aspects of their forecasting and mitigation program for Utah's state roadways. Bill shares the history of the forecasting program in Little Cottonwood Canyon , he talks about assessing the risk in different slide paths of LCC, and strategies to use the best tools to keep the roadways open. Hope ya enjoy!

In this episode, we talk to Nick Meyers. Nick is the Director of the Mt. Shasta Avalanche Center as well as the lead climbing ranger for the area. We talk to Nick about springtime avalanche concerns all over the western US. He also lets us know some things to think about when planning a climbing or skiing trip to Mt. Shasta. Leave a review for us on iTunes, and you will be entered to win a pair of M1 Gloves from Truck Gloves. Enjoy!

This episode will be broken down into two separate episodes, and will talk about some of the details of how avalanche education within the United States will be changing in the next year. We sit down with Kirk Bachman of Stanley Idaho. Kirk wears many hats and one of them is that of the Chair of the Education Committee for the American Avalanche Association. Kirk Explains some of the reasoning for the upcoming Professional/Recreational split and how it can benefit different user groups.