Utah Avalanche Center Podcast

Feb 21 2025 57 ep. 40 mins 192

Utah Avalanche Center Podcast artwork

The podcast that helps keep you on top of the snow rather than buried beneath it.

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Brett Kobernick Knows It in His Bones: Nobody is Immune from Getting Killed in an Avalanche

Feb 21 2025 38 mins

Brett Kobernick’s nickname may be “Kowboy,” but he’s actually something of a Leonardo da Vinci of the snow. A garage tinkerer who builds the tools he needs to better understand winter conditions, he’s also an early adopter of the snow bike, and he helped invent the split-board. True story. Kowboy joins us to talk about all of that, as well as the science, the excitement,

Dave Garcia on Having and Having Not Loads of Info

Jan 24 2025 33 mins

If you were looking to move somewhere because you love to ski, Moab, Utah likely wouldn’t be anywhere near the top of that list. Dave Garcia loves to ski. It’s why he came to Utah in 2002. He spent 12 seasons skiing the Wasatch, then he moved to Moab, and not for the snow. But the thing is, there’s actually some pretty good skiing in the mountains that loom over the deserts o

Dave Kelly on the Nuances of Public Forecasting

Mar 29 2024 37 mins

Dave Kelly’s career on snow has included stints forecasting for a remote narrow-gauge, trans-national railroad on behalf of the Alaska DOT. He’s also put in time at Turoa, one of the largest ski areas in New Zealand. And for 16 years, he worked as a ski patroller at Alta. He joined the Utah Avalanche Center in the 2022-23 season as a forecaster for the Salt Lake area. And he sa

Craig Gordon and the Zen of Solo Touring

Feb 28 2024 41 mins

More often than not, UAC forecaster Craig Gordon heads into the backcountry alone. He loves it. the solitude. Moving at his own pace. Spending as much time as he wants, as much time as it takes to understand the snowpack. He also understands the risks involved in touring alone. Craig joins us to talk through two of his most memorable solo backcountry tours, what he learned out ther

Toby Weed on Sharing the Joys of Powder Snow

Feb 09 2024 33 mins

If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's snow. In his 20-plus years as a UAC forecaster for the Logan region, Toby Weed has seen snow's uniting effects. The Logan mountains boast an abundance of terrain, and for years, motorized and non-motorized users battled for the best slopes. But, Weed says, these days, things have changed. He joins us to talk about how, by focusing on t

Paige Pagnucco on Effective Messaging in Culturally Complex Terrain

Feb 02 2024 33 mins

There isn’t any hard data on this, but it seems safe to say that Paige Pagnucco is one of very few people who are both full-time avalanche forecasters and MBAs. In fact, she may well be a group of one. Pagnucco, who forecasts for the Logan region, says that, while it may not seem like it at first, there’s actually some significant overlap between business and forecasting. It co

Eric Trenbeath on the Communal Impact of a Tragic Avalanche

Jan 09 2024 39 mins

The La Sal Mountains of southeastern Utah erupt out of the surrounding red rock desert. They sport steep slopes and big alpine lines that just beg to be skied. But this is expert terrain, says UAC forecaster Eric Trenbeath. It’s highly avalanche prone, especially in the heart of winter, when the coverage is thin. Trenbeath is based in Moab, and he’s been forecasting for the La

Greg Gagne on Developing a Conservative Mindset and Cultivating Community

Dec 21 2023 50 mins

Greg Gagne is a self-described conservative backcountry skier. His greatest satisfaction comes from putting in the work before entering avalanche terrain. He wants to know, as well as he possibly can, that the snow he’s traveling on and around is stable. Greg joins us to explore how we grow our knowledge and experience in avalanche terrain, and we also talk about the ingredients

Nikki Champion on Forecast Accuracy and Finding Your Way

Dec 04 2023 30 mins

UAC forecaster Nikki Champion knows first-hand the challenge of charting a career path in snow and avalanche science. She joins us to talk about how having role models and mentors that looked like her helped her find her way. We also talk about her recent ISSW paper evaluating the accuracy of the avalanche center’s forecasts in the last few years.

Drew Hardesty on Stories, Storytelling and Safety Communication

Nov 10 2023 28 mins

This season, something a little different on the podcast. We want you to get to know the UAC forecasters, so, Drew is handing over the host's mic to producer Benjamin Bombard, and he'll be the one interviewing the crew. Drew's first at bat. He joins us to talk about how relaying valuable information through stories—rather than "just the facts, ma'am"—can help backcountry users