The West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation Board of Directors is a dedicated volunteer team committed to advancing avalanche forecasting and education. As the nonprofit supporting the West Central Montana Avalanche Center, we lead fundraising, community outreach, and advocacy efforts to ensure the sustainability and expansion of avalanche safety programs.

Comprised of skiers, snowboarders, and motorized mountain riders, we strive to represent the diverse winter backcountry community we serve. We actively seek passionate and engaged individuals who share our commitment to public safety, education, and access to critical avalanche information. If you’re interested in making a difference, we’d love to hear from you!

Doug Hutcheon

President

Doug moved to Missoula in 1994 after growing up skiing in the Poconos, where ski club trips often meant carving turns through rain-soaked slopes under artificial lights. Dete... Read More +

Doug Hutcheon

President

Doug moved to Missoula in 1994 after growing up skiing in the Poconos, where ski club trips often meant carving turns through rain-soaked slopes under artificial lights. Determined to find a place where snow fell from the sky instead of a water hose, he set his sights on Montana for college. Soon after arriving, Doug discovered telemark skiing and the vast opportunities for backcountry access. While safe backcountry practices weren’t part of those early days in the Poconos, a deep love for winter adventure was.

Over the years, Doug has continued expanding his knowledge of backcountry safety while helping others get outside with the right equipment as the longtime gear buyer for The Trail Head. His passion for avalanche education and backcountry awareness led him to join the board of the West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation. He is dedicated to ensuring that both newcomers and experienced backcountry travelers have access to the forecasting tools, education, and resources they need to explore safely and return home.

Jason Harby

Treasurer

Jason is a Missoula native with a strong passion for the outdoors. Growing up in Missoula he started skiing at a young age and quickly realized you don’t always need a chai... Read More +

Jason Harby

Treasurer

Jason is a Missoula native with a strong passion for the outdoors. Growing up in Missoula he started skiing at a young age and quickly realized you don’t always need a chairlift to get in some good turns. According to Jason, he stuck around Missoula for College and Law School as it was too hard to leave the mountains. To this day he still hasn’t been able to get himself to leave western Montana. Jason joined the Board because he sees the increasing importance of both, avalanche forecasting and education as the number of backcountry enthusiasts continues to grow. When he isn’t enjoying the region's mountains and rivers Jason represents a number of for-profit and nonprofit developers in affordable housing projects throughout Montana, as well other nonprofit and business-related manners.

Emily Jochem

Secretary

Emily joined the West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation (WCMAF) Board of Directors in 2023 and brings a background in ski patrolling, wilderness medicine education, and wo... Read More +

Emily Jochem

Secretary

Emily joined the West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation (WCMAF) Board of Directors in 2023 and brings a background in ski patrolling, wilderness medicine education, and working with nonprofits. Emily grew up in Bozeman, Montana and was instilled with a love for skiing of all types at a young age.

She moved to Missoula in 2020 to pursue a M.S. in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana. Upon graduating, Emily wanted to find a way to stay involved in the backcountry skiing and avalanche
communities after leaving her seasonal jobs behind. Emily is an avid backcountry skier and is passionate about community education and engagement that help keep the backcountry safe and accessible for
everyone.

When not out skiing or helping with the WCMAF, Emily works as a partnership coordinator with the National Forest Foundation. In this role she helps the Forest Service better integrate community values into public land management, including backcountry recreation!

Jaclyn Rushing

Jaclyn is an Oregon girl who came to Montana in 2017 to work for the Park Service. She began her backcountry pursuits in the Flathead and has appreciated the work of avalanch... Read More +

Jaclyn Rushing

Jaclyn is an Oregon girl who came to Montana in 2017 to work for the Park Service. She began her backcountry pursuits in the Flathead and has appreciated the work of avalanche centers ever since. So in 2024, she joined the BOD to give back and help ensure fun and safe experiences for all winter recreationists.

Jaclyn thinks about outdoor recreation all the time. To earn her turns, Jaclyn works as a social scientist for the Rocky Mountain Research Station focusing on outdoor recreation and public land management.

Mary Anderson

Andrew Martin

Derek Pansze

Nick Vanhorn

Nick grew up on the shores of Lake Erie, where despite the phenomena that is lake effect snow there were limited options to slide down leaving all that snow useless. A traged... Read More +

Nick Vanhorn

Nick grew up on the shores of Lake Erie, where despite the phenomena that is lake effect snow there were limited options to slide down leaving all that snow useless. A tragedy, to say the least. So Nick went west and did what any bright, educated young man would do, worked seasonal jobs and skied. Now a recovering Ski Patroller whose head is still in the snow Nick is proud to assist the West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation in providing free, informative and accessible avalanche forecasts as well as quality avalanche classes for users of all abilities.