West Central Montana Avalanche Center POSITION: Avalanche Center Director POSITION TYPE: Full-time, seasonal LOCATION: Missoula, Montana DATE POSTED: May 4, 2021 CLOSING DATE: August 5, 2021 BACKGROUND: The West Central Montana Avalanche Center (WCMAC) is seeking candidates for WCMAC Director. The WCMAC is provided through the West Central Montana Avalanche...
As we reflect on a successful winter operating season, it is bittersweet for the West Central Montana Avalanche Center (WCMAC) to announce that Travis Craft is retiring and moving on from avalanche center duties. With a background in snow safety and outdoor education, Travis began working with the WCMAC...
This is the second of three articles in the case study of an avalanche accident that happened on Big St. Joseph Peak on Sunday, January 3, 2021. The first article included an overview of the accident and examined human factors and how heuristic traps can influence our decision making....
On January 3rd of 2021, two experienced skiers triggered an avalanche on the east face of St. Joseph Peak. One skier was caught and carried 300’. Luckily, he skied off the debris and was uninjured. Like all such incidents, there are valuable lessons to be learned through examination. Much...
As the mantra goes: Practice makes perfect. The ability to respond successfully in an avalanche boils down to training and knowing how to use your equipment: a beacon, probe, and shovel. Beacon Training Parks provide users of all ages, abilities, and experience levels with an opportunity to hone...
WINTER IS BACK, AND WE’RE LOVING LA NIÑA! You’ve prayed, hoped, and danced for snow all winter, and it’s finally here! Western Montana’s mountains are busier than ever before, with new and veteran backcountry users enjoying the goods. We want to help keep the stoke high while encouraging our...
If I am going to do just one test, I do an extended column test (ECT). It gives me some information on the strength of a weak layer, but most importantly, the likelihood of propagation. It is a simple test. A column 30cm (12”) by 90cm (36”) is...
What is SWE? SWE stands for Snow Water Equivalent. What it measures is the amount of liquid water in the snow. If you took a height of snow and melted it, the height of the water created is SWE. For example, if 10″ of snow falls at 10% density,...
Winter has arrived, and rallying in support of your avalanche center has gone virtual. Don’t despair; the Pray for Snow tradition is alive and well! While we won’t be gathering in person this year, the West Central Montana Avalanche Foundation invites you to our first-ever Pray for Snow online...
Dear Missoula & Beyond, While my involvement with Missoula Avalanche stretches back 14 or 15 years, in the coming months, I will be retiring after 13 years of official duties. This will be both a rewarding shift and a bittersweet farewell. Over the years, I’ve served as the board...
