Utah Avalanche Center Podcast
57 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago -The podcast that helps keep you on top of the snow rather than buried beneath it.
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Episodes
Mastery and False Mastery - An Interview with "Big" Don Sharaf
March 15, 2018 20:48 - 52 minutes - 24.2 MBDon Sharaf has the run the gauntlet of a 30-year career on snow. He's a co-owner of American Avalanche Institute and has taught avalanche and mountaineering courses for the past 25 years. He's also worked as a heli-ski guide and avalanche forecaster in Alaska for more than a decade. In other words, he's got enough mileage in the mountains to have learned a thing or two, including the profound value of humility when staring into the face of the dragon.
A Conversation with Tom Kimbrough, Hemingway of the Wasatch
March 01, 2018 19:44 - 55 minutes - 25.4 MBRetired UAC forecaster and Jenny Lake climbing ranger Tom Kimbrough has spent a lifetime in the mountains. He attributes his ability to survive his adventures to one thing: Luck. We discussed his thinking about a lifetime of risk exposure, what it's like now seeing his only son climbing and skiing at the highest levels, and what role Buddhism has played in his life as a climber, as a skier, and as a soon-to-be octogenarian, the role of mentorship in the world of forecasting and other profess...
To Hell in a Heartbeat
February 15, 2018 23:16 - 45 minutes - 20.7 MBIn December, 2008, Matt Clevenger was caught in an avalanche in the Wasatch Mountains and buried him six feet under. Luckily, one of his partners that day, Tom Diegel, reacted quickly, led decisively, and helped save Clevenger's life. Discussed in the podcast: the life-and-death risks of backcountry skiing; mentoring and finding a mentor; moving forward after being buried and rescued; making the right decisions, delegating responsibilities, and communicating well during a rescue; practice re...
Recreating Like a Pro
February 01, 2018 18:52 - 1 hour - 32.1 MBAnna Keeling has been a fully certified IFMGA guide since 2002. She is a highly sought after educator and trainer for aspiring mountain guides. Discussed in this episode: the "systems approach" of risk management to backcountry ski guiding; managing avalanche risk; what it takes to become a ski guide; detailed preparation for a backcountry tour, including "run sheets"; risk vs loss vs love; terrain management; decision making by intuition and the facts; and good communication.
Avalanche Mitigation Over Open Roads
January 19, 2018 18:07 - 35 minutes - 16.2 MBIn this episode, we talk with Bill Nalli, Utah Department of Transportation Avalanche Program supervisor, about keeping the Greatest Snow on Earth from avalanching over the open roads. Topics discussed: managing avalanche potential in Little Cottonwood Canyon; avalanche mitigation tools (105mm Howitzers) from WWII to the Wasatch backcountry; Avalanche Hazard Index; avalanche problems across Utah; precarious existence and importance of artillery as an avalanche tool; Craig Patterson; the chal...
Avalanche Weather with Professor Powder, Jim Steenburgh
January 04, 2018 00:05 - 50 minutes - 23 MBSpecial guest, Jim Steenburgh AKA Professor Powder, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Utah and author of the book THE GREATEST SNOW ON EARTH. The weather triangle of precipitation, wind, and temperature/solar radiation; weather is the architect of the snowpack; seasonal variations in weather patterns; local effects that impact Wasatch winter storms; atmospheric rivers; Lake Effect myths, brine shrimp included; decision making by consensus and outliers; why Alta does inde...
The Day of Madness in Little Cottonwood Canyon
December 19, 2017 20:34 - 43 minutes - 19.7 MBUtah Avalanche Center forecaster Drew Hardesty and Alta Snow Safety Director Dave Richards revisit the fateful events of November 13, 2011, the Day of Madness in Little Cottonwood Canyon. It was an early-season powder day in the Wasatch, and people's lust for epic snow encountered the dangerous realities of considerable avalanche danger, with deadly results. Discussed: human factors that compound snow problems; typical hazards of early-season snow; Jamie Pierre; the science, challenges, and ...