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Colorado Avalanche Info Center

@coavalancheinfo

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Providing avalanche information, education, and research.

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Last week we were extremely honored to present Ron Simenhois with an A3 Special Service Award at the 25th Annual Colorado Snow & Avalanche Workshop.

Ron was originally recognized at the ISSW, but it was fitting to celebrate him in front of the hometown crowd!

A3's Special Service Award is given to individuals who have made outstanding achievements in service of the US snow and avalanche community. Ron was nominated by Karl Birkeland, Ethan Greene, Mike Cooperstein, Becs Hodgetts, Ned Bair, and Scott Savage for his development of the Extended Column Test (ECT).

Ron’s work with avalanches spans more than two decades, with time as a ski patroller in Colorado and New Zealand, a mine site forecaster in Alaska, and, most recently, as a highway forecaster, data scientist, and researcher for @coavalancheinfo . In the early 2000s, motivated by crack propagation discussions, Ron thought up a small block test that might index both initiation and propagation, the Extended Column Test (ECT). Over the next few years, he worked with partners to gather data and fine tune the test, eventually presenting the research at ISSW and co-authoring a peer-reviewed paper. The ECT quickly became one of the most widely used tests in the U.S. and in many other countries worldwide.

While this award primarily recognizes Ron’s ECT work, he’s also done work on glide avalanches, storm snow avalanches, crack propagation, crack arrest, and propagation speed. He’s volunteered his time and skills to Doug Chabot for avalanche forecasting work in Central Asia, and he recently utilized a novel video magnification technique to track slope-scale crack speeds. This project landed him as a co-author of a paper on supershear that was published in the journal Nature, an achievement that would be a crowning accomplishment for most academic researchers. Ron has also accomplished many additional unpublished projects at the CAIC.

Throughout all of his work, Ron has maintained his curiosity, enthusiasm and humility. He is a deeply valued mentor in the industry, and he is always good for an interesting conversation and a laugh.

Congratulations, Ron!

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CSAW is just a couple days away! We’ll be there and would love to see you.

AAI team member Drew Gibson will be presenting a case study on the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in avalanche search and rescue alongside Austin Finnell of Summit County Rescue Group at 9:25.

Our team will also be at the booth, so stop by to say hello! Whether you’re a past student, current student, or industry partner, we’d love to connect.

Looking forward to celebrating CAIC’s 25th anniversary and connecting with the avalanche community!

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It’s CSAW week! The 25th Annual Colorado Snow and Avalanche Workshop is this Friday, Oct. 16, at the Breckenridge Riverwalk Center.

CSAW is Colorado’s premier continuing education event for avalanche professionals and backcountry travelers, sharing the latest research, operational insights, and real-world lessons from leaders across the avalanche community.

🎟️Grab your tickets today (link in bio), and we’ll see you Friday!

🗓️Friday, October 16
⏰8 a.m.-4 p.m.
📍Breckenridge Riverwalk Center
🍻Happy Hour to follow

Can’t make it to Breckenridge or want to relive the action? Purchase the CSAW recording to watch the presentations on demand.

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Thanks for joining us in Durango for Mental Health in the Mountains and Silverton for 4SAW. We had an absolute blast!!

Being able to host our regional community of snow pros and rec users alike was an honor. From keynote speeches to breakout sessions, giveaways and gallons of coffee, we had a stellar time nerding out about snow, avalanches, and what we hope is going to be a spectacular winter season. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing sponsors, wonderful speakers, and of course our avid attendees. Be sure to stay in touch and keep up with the rest of our events this season!

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Dig in the Layered Snowpack

The conditions that form avalanches can result from a storm event (new snow accumulation and/or wind transporting and depositing snow onto steep slopes) or a warming event (sun/heat or rain warming the snow surface layers to 0°C/32°F). However, in cooler mountain regions (Intermountain and Continental climates) unstable conditions frequently linger beyond the initial storm cycle or weather event. It is during these conditions that experts and the avalanche advisories warn about Persistent Slab and Deep Slab avalanche problem types.

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#snowmobile #winter #avalanchesafety #avalanche #aiare

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Thinking back to some crazy conditions from last winter has me excited for the Colorado Snow and Avalanche Workshop (CSAW) next Friday (Oct 16) in Breckenridge, Colorado with @coavalancheinfo ❄️ This is a unique event each fall with a variety of presentations this year including group dynamics in the field, UAVs in avalanche and SAR work, the highway forecasting program, managing risk in avalanche terrain, meteorologist’s perspective of El Niño, classifying avalanche size, and more🤯🤯

It would be AWESOME to have more motorized snow enthusiasts involved and attend the event. Lots of great information whether you’re a full blown ❄️🤓, just the average person that loves being on the snow and has interest in avalanche safety, and everything in between.

Event runs from 8 am through 4 pm followed by happy hour. You can get tickets at the link in my bio. Hope to see you there!

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The Avalanche Review (TAR) is coming to a mailbox near you! TAR 45.1 is packed with fresh perspectives, research, and insights to get your brain ready for winter around this issue’s theme: A Constant State of Adapting.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
🗣️ Risk & Communication Strategies
• A re-publication of Grant Statham’s Avalanche Journal article on the Connaught Creek and La Traviata accidents, reflecting on the remarkable outcomes and system changes born from those tragedies.
• On page 27, researcher Philip A. Ebert explores the ethics of avalanche risk communication—asking whether forecasters and risk communicators should move beyond standard hazard information to use language intended to directly influence user behavior.

🧠 Education
• McKinley Talty @utavy breaks down how scenario-based avalanche clinics offer vital continuing education for advanced recreational backcountry users.
• Jen Reddy highlights upcoming changes to the Pro 2 Proficiencies & Guidelines, in effect this winter.

🌩️ 2025–2026 Season Summaries
• Spencer Logan @coavalancheinfo walks through last season’s major weather patterns and the avalanche accidents that followed across the US.

🔬 Research Spotlight
• Itai Sheleg, recipient of A3's ISSW Young Professionals Scholarship, shares his work on modified propagation saw tests and avalanche forecasting in data-sparse regions.

...plus more from Jerry Isaak, Dr. Kristin Timm, Matthias Walcher, Bruno Navoni, and Pete Keane!

Cover photo by Essex Prescott

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🏔️Looking forward to having the avalanche safety community together in one room at the 25th Annual Colorado Snow and Avalanche Workshop (CSAW) on Friday, Oct. 16, in Breckenridge!

We have a fantastic lineup of speakers from across the avalanche industry, covering group dynamics and risk, search and rescue, highway forecasting, El Niño-Southern Oscillation, and much more!

🎟️Grab your tickets today – prices increase Friday, Oct. 9 at 11:59 p.m.! 🔗Link in bio to get Early Bird prices and see the full speaker agenda.

🗓️Friday, October 16
⏰8 a.m.-4 p.m.
📍Breckenridge Riverwalk Center
🍻Happy Hour to follow

Can’t make it to Breckenridge or want to relive the action? Purchase the CSAW recording to watch the presentations on demand.

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It’s not all wheelies and deep pow. Finding the good snow and staying alive in the backcountry requires smart decision making and continual learning. I’m attending the 25th Annual Colorado Snow and Avalanche Workshop (CSAW) to deepen my avalanche + snow science knowledge, listen to psychologists share research on communication + group dynamics and to connect with the backcountry community.

Hope to see you there!
🗓️ Oct. 16
⏱️ 8am-5pm
📍 Breckenridge Riverwalk Center
Register through the link in @friendsofcaic bio.

CSAW is for anyone working or playing in avalanche terrain who want to take their knowledge to a higher level. See presentations from avalanche and highway forecasters, search and rescue, meteorologists, psychologists, research scientists, ski patrollers, and more.

Presentations will cover a wide range of topics, including:
* Group dynamics and communication in the field
* UAVs in avalanche and search and rescue work, and approaches to avalanche rescue
* A deep dive into Colorado’s highway avalanche forecasting program
* Managing risk in avalanche terrain: a look into procedural risk, structural risk, and emergent risk
* Meteorologist’s perspective of El Niño-Southern Oscillation
* Classifying avalanche size on the D-scale
* The CSAW legacy after 25 years and more!

@coavalancheinfo @friendsofcaic @skidoo

Photos: Wayne Wagner

#avalancheeducation #snowscience #backcountryskiing #snowmobiling

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A3 supported Snow and Avalanche Workshops (SAWs) kick off this week!

Mark your calendars for the SAW nearest to you! 📅

These events are a cornerstone for continued education, research updates, and connecting with peers across the snow and avalanche community.

Individual event details and registration links can be found on our website.

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Looking forward to this! Get a better understanding of avalanches, transceivers, rescue strategies, route finding and much more. Attend class! Being your transceiver and riding partners. Transceivers provided if you don’t have one.

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