WHITEFISH – Avalanche professionals and winter backcountry enthusiasts will meet on Oct. 13 for the second annual Northern Rockies Avalanche Safety Workshop, from 7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. at the Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish.
This pre-season avalanche safety workshop is dedicated to improving avalanche related decision-making and skills for winter backcountry users.
This year’s speakers have varied experiences, backgrounds and expertise in avalanche forecasting, theory, information processing, emergency decision-making and other up-to-date backcountry information. They are:
Karl Birkeland
Founder of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center in Bozeman, Birkeland has spent the past 30 years working professionally as a ski patroller, educator, backcountry forecaster and researcher.
Scott Savage
Savage has been an avalanche forecaster for Big Sky Resort in Montana, but more recently has toured the country giving lectures and talks analyzing his and other avalanche professionals’ experience and mistakes. This year he is joining the Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center.
LeeAnn Allegretto
The Avalanche Program Leader for the Missoula National Weather Service, Allegretto is responsible for managing and updating backcountry weather data/forecasts.
Elyse Saugstad
A professional skier from Girdwood, Alaska, Saugstad is a ski film star, competitive freeride skier and accomplished backcountry skier.
Christopher Robinson
Robinson was deployed as a Navy SEAL in 2003-2004, where he specialized in assignments that dealt with stressful group dynamics and learned decision-making methods to optimize performance and survival.
Dale Atkins
Atkins has more than 30 years of experience as an avalanche expert as a rescuer, forecaster, researcher and educator working in recreational, industrial and municipal domains.
For more information visit avalanchesafetyworkshop.com.
