Arden Feldman

Lead Avalanche Forecaster

Growing up in Boston’s suburbia, Arden built snowmakers in his backyard to combat the lack of snow. Looking for deeper snow and bigger mountains, he moved west to study Geology at Colorado College. That’s where he fell in love with backcountry skiing. Eager to learn more about snow, he spent a summer at Montana State University’s Subzero Lab researching the fracture mechanics of the Extended Column Test. After graduating, he continued that research while interning at the Crested Butte Avalanche Center and the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. In 2018 he presented the completed study at the International Snow Science Workshop in Innsbruck, Austria. He then said goodbye to Colorado’s luscious depth hoar and moved to Utah to ski patrol at Solitude Mountain. He favored the early mornings breaking trail up Solitude’s exposed ridgelines while watching the sun rise over the Wasatch. He also spent a winter avalanche forecasting for the Bridgeport Avalanche Center in the Eastern Sierras. In addition, to fine-tuning his avalanche forecasting skills, he thoroughly enjoyed snowmobiling on Sonora Pass’s backcountry playground. Arden loves thinking about the complex interactions between snow, weather, terrain, and people and is excited to share that passion with the community in Missoula. You’ll find him out trail running, backpacking, or floating down a river when not out in the snow.

Cam Mackenzie

Avalanche Forecaster

Cam grew up in Massachusetts and then moved west for college at the University of Utah, where he received his BS in Physical Geography with an emphasis in natural hazards and mountain weather. He was a pro ski patroller in Utah at Solitude for ten years finishing his time there as an Avalanche Mitigation Technician. He also spent seven years as an instructor for the University of Utah Snow and Avalanche Dynamics program within the Atmospheric Science department, teaching snow mechanics and avalanche science. His current interests in the field involve snow metamorphism within wildfire scars and forecasting weather in areas with limited weather stations or radar coverage. Cam has worked for the Forest Service as a firefighter for 12 years and is currently a squad leader with the Salmon Heli-Rappellers, where he has been since 2015. Cam lives in Salmon, Idaho, and enjoys mountain bikes, hunting, fishing, and exploring the Bitterroot mountains.

Payton Schiff

Avalanche Forecaster

Payton is a woman of the west. She was born in Colorado where she first learned to ski at the age of 2 at Powderhorn before her family moved to Utah. She spent the remainder of her early years skiing the champagne powder of the Wasatch. She graduated college with an undergraduate degree in Sociology before packing up her skis and moving back to Colorado. It was there that a new and unique love for snow and backcountry skiing was ignited. She began teaching avalanche safety courses and ski patrolling at Bluebird Backcountry in addition to two years spent studying avalanche science at Colorado Mountain College. She has joined the WCMAC forecast team as a certified Avalanche Field Technician. She is incredibly excited to continue sharpening her avalanche forecasting know-how here in Montana and is particularly curious about the interactions between people and the winter backcountry environments they recreate in. When not on snow, you will either find Payton out trail running or whipping up her favorite sweet treats (tiramisu and cream puffs if anyone is asking) in the kitchen.

Katie Matthews

Education Coordinator

Katie grew up Nordic skiing in the snowy wilderness of Bear Valley, Alaska. In 2003, she and her family moved to Missoula, and soon after found her passion in backcountry skiing and snow science. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in K-8 education 2017 from the University of Montana. She conducted graduate research through Montana State University on assessing and comparing observed avalanche activity with forecasted problems through the West Central Montana Avalanche Center.

Throughout her time in Missoula, Katie has been a middle school science and math teacher, rock climbing coach and route setter, ski instructor, river guide and swiftwater instructor, bike patroller, jet boat driver, and avalanche educator.

She has a strong passion for education, the outdoors, and snow. This will be her first season as WCMAF’s Education Coordinator and third season as an avalanche educator. She will also be an AIARE’s Women’s Professional Growth Network mentor for the 2024-25 winter.

Outside of the winter season, she works as a guide on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho and teaches wilderness first aid/responder courses with Longleaf Wilderness Medicine throughout the country.

Trask Baughman

Educator

Trask joined the West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation in 2019, bringing with him an extensive background in guiding and outdoor education. As a professional member of the American Avalanche Association, he plays a vital role in advancing the Foundation’s mission by serving as a lead educator and expanding avalanche education programs across west-central Montana. As a Professional Observer for the West Central Montana Avalanche Center, Trask closely studies the snowpack throughout the winter, gathering critical field data to help ensure each avalanche forecast reflects the most accurate and relevant information available.

During the winter, Trask travels the mountains on telemark skis, splitboards, and powder surfers. When he's not in the snow, you can find him at home with his wife Emiko or playing D&D with his two brothers and sister.

Elizabeth Fricke

Educator

Elizabeth Fricke is originally from North Carolina and moved to Montana in 1999. Her background is grounded in outdoor education. She worked for the North Carolina Outward Bound School, the National Outdoor Leadership School, the Chadwick School, and seasonally raft guiding and kayak instructing on rivers and rocks for many years.

She received her undergrad at Appalachian State University in Recreation Management and a Master’s in education at the University of Montana. Currently, she directs the University of Montana’s Outdoor Program and has been in that position since 2004. She teaches courses for the American Mountain Guide Association, Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, and the West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation. She is passionate about teaching others and prefers ski tours to lift rides any day.

She completed a Level 1 Avalanche course through NOLS in 2004, a Level 2 in 2009, and a Pro Level 1 course in 2019 through the American Avalanche Institute. She enjoys skiing with her husband and two daughters - and loves chasing them around the mountain on weekends.

Maelan Arciello

Educator

Maelan grew up skiing at Red Lodge Mountain. In 2006, he and his family moved to Missoula, and he continued to hone his skills at Snowbowl. He attended college at the University of Montana and received a B.S. in Parks Tourism and Recreation Management. During his junior year, he accepted an internship in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, which allowed him to teach skiing for a year and a half. In Steamboat Springs, he realized his passion for instructing, providing on-snow education, and exploring the backcountry.

After returning to Missoula in 2016, he started coaching for the Missoula Freestyle Team. He began volunteering for the West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation (WCMAF) in 2017, helping deliver the Know Before You Go schools programs. Since then, he has grown steadily as an Educator and expanded his role within the WCMAF Education Program.

He has a strong passion for outdoor education and emphasizes having fun and safety. As an American Avalanche Association (A3) Pro, he is an experienced avalanche professional with a background in education. His goals as an outdoor educator are to instill confidence in students and help them better their decision-making in the mountains.

He manages the local ski and paddle shop, LB Snow, and guides for Montana River Guides during the summer. He also works with the Whitewater Rescue Safety Institute in environmental spill response safety on waterways throughout the country.

Jane Quinn

Educator

Jane started backcountry skiing in the Big Sky area in 2007 with a pair of snowshoes and a snowboard. It only took a couple of adventures for her to switch back to her skiing roots, assemble an AT set-up, and learn how to ski deep powder and tight trees on two planks instead of one. After years of cultivating experience, skill, and passion as a skier and mountain biker, she decided to dive into the world of outdoor education. She became a PMBI certified mountain bike instructor while living in Bend, OR in 2015 and the following year, she earned her AIARE avalanche instructor certification in Silverton, CO. After relocating back to Montana in 2017, she founded See Jane Adventures, LLC, whose mission is to empower individuals through outdoor education. She is passionate about helping people conquer fear and anxiety, learn about their true mental and physical potential, and drop their egos in favor of teamwork and supporting one another – all of which are powerful tools for tackling everyday life too!

Zach Snavely

Educator

Zach grew up in rural Pennsylvania, seeking adventure in the woods, lakes, and rivers in all seasons. Although he started skiing "East Coast Ice" in high school, he didn't catch the bug until he moved to Wyoming in 2010 and was introduced to the backcountry. He worked for the National Outdoor Leadership School for eight years before moving on to guiding in the ski, rock, and alpine disciplines. Over a decade later, Zach is hooked on the mountains and feels lucky to share these amazing places with others. He finds that there is something new to learn every day he travels on snow and is still searching for that perfect turn.

Jack Doering

Educator

Jack grew up skiing the icy slopes of the Midwest but moved out West as soon as he could. After graduating college, he spent winters living like a true ski bum in an RV with a woodstove, skiing and evaluating snowpacks all around North America. Jack has experience ski guiding in Alaska and ski patrolling at Discovery in Phillipsburg. He has a background in outdoor leadership and education and is passionate about teaching what he has learned along the way. When not exploring SW Montana on skis, Jack works for the Forest Service as a firefighter and tries to squeeze in all the trail running and mountain biking that he can.

Ryan Milling

Educator

Ryan has been exploring the backcountry on skis since coming to Montana in 2012. Ryan has always had a passion for education and learning, teaching for various organizations, including NOLS, Aerie Backcountry Medicine, the Montana Wilderness School, and the UM Outdoor Program. He is passionate about breaking down barriers to enjoy the outdoors safely and responsibly. His avalanche and skiing background comes from years of ski patrolling, leading winter camping expeditions, teaching avalanche and winter skills courses. As an American Avalanche Association Pro, he is constantly working to improve the quality of avalanche education and focuses on providing inclusive education, free from big attitudes and egos. He is currently in nursing school and works at the local ER. When the snow melts, Ryan enjoys whitewater kayaking and guiding on the Middle Fork and Main Salmon.

Ben Schmidt

Educator

After an ill-fated attempt to ski the "backcountry," Ben took his first avalanche course at the University of Montana in the '90s. Since then, Ben has gathered observations, volunteered, taught classes, and helped others learn before they go. Ben grew up skiing the "summits" of Wisconsin and the U.P. and moved to Montana quickly after a ski trip to Big Mountain (Whitefish). Ben brings a decade of ski patrol and avalanche mitigation work, along with many years of skiing in varied Rocky Mountain conditions. Ben teaches whitewater rescue courses when it's not snowing, works in risk mitigation, environmental emergencies, and hits the river as often as possible.