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In today's episode, I'll be chatting with Dani Poirier from the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance. We'll get to know Dani a little bit before diving into some hot topics in the Wasatch. Dani will also provide some updates for us about current access issues, the WBA shuttle, and the organization's trail counting program.

For snow, weather, and avalanche updates, all eyes are on an active period of weather between Christmas and New Years. It's still a ways out, but we have a good history of having reliable Winter storms right around Christmas time. Santa loves the Wasatch! Until then, you can choose to either manage persistent slabs on the polar aspects, or dodge rocks and stumps on the solar aspects. Time to do a little snow dance.

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The Wasatch is starting to come back to life and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. After a long period of high pressure, our snow globe has returned, at least for now. In today's episode, I'll recap our snow, weather, and avalanches before jumping into an interview with Emmet Murray. Emmet is the unit Vice President out of the Canyons village for the Park City Ski Patrol Association where he works as a Hill Captain. We'll talk all things ski patrol before learning about ski patrol Unions and why they are important to your safety on the mountain.

Head's up...after we recorded this interview, the PCPSA had a strike authorization vote and those who voted did so unanimously to approve a strike authorization. Tune in to their social media channels to learn more about this action and to get involved:
@pcskipatrolunion
@united_mountain_workers
@solitudeskipatrolunion
@parkcityliftmaintenace

You can also contribute to them via Venmo at: @PCSPA
Or, check out their GoFundMe Here: 

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Thanks for tuning in to Episode 9 of the Salt Lake Snowcast. I wanted to get this one out as soon as possible as I  think it is an incredibly important episode going into this weekend. After the usual backcountry update, I have an honest and vulnerable conversation with local pro skier Sam Cohen and our friend, ski guide, and avalanche forecaster Cody Hughes. Sam was caught, carried, and partially buried in an avalanche this past week and wanted to come on the show to tell the full story. With the help of Cody and Sam, the three of us debrief the current phenomenon right now in the Wasatch where, despite scary moderate danger with a persistent weak layer avalanche problem, the backcountry looks like a ski resort with tracks on every avalanche path as far as the eye can see. 

I keep going back to this quote from the show where Cody says “People are hedging their bets right now and what that means is they’re gambling.” You can stack the odds in your favor all day long and talk yourself into skiing avalanche terrain, but with a persistent weak layer, you’re still rolling the dice. And you know what…the thing about gambling is that the house always wins. At the end of the day, it’s a numbers game.

Thanks for being here and giving us a listen. Feel free to send a DM or an email with any questions about today’s show. saltlakesnowcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 8! Things are trending positively right now for our persistent weak layer, but we aren’t out of the woods yet. It’s going to be one of those tempting weekends where you’ll likely see some bold tracks in big avalanche paths. Heading into this weekend, remember our discussion from last week about getting lucky vs. making good decisions. With our current snowpack, tracks aren’t necessarily indicating stability. 

In Part 2, local backcountry skier, former Navy SEAL, and man of many talents, Trevor Thompson, joins the Snowcast to chat about risk, group dynamics and fitness. Trevor’s approach to backcountry touring is intentional and grounded in years of experience.

Finally, we wrap up today’s episode with our extended forecast for the Wasatch. We are back into high pressure and on a slow warming trend until the middle of next week before another storm is on deck for Friday. 

Thanks for the continuous love! Subscribe to the pod, download episodes, and share our IG posts!

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Are we making good decisions or are we getting lucky? Going into this weekend, I have a message I want you to hear. We are headed in a bad direction and I don’t like the trend I’m seeing. We’ve seen some notable incidents and we have almost every “red flag” present right now in the Wasatch.  Typically, we see some dangerous close calls, a few people get lucky, and then the luck eventually runs out. Let’s work together as a community, think before we drop in, and keep one another safe.

On a more optimistic note, the snow globe continues this weekend with more powder on tap. Tune in for your usual update on backcountry conditions followed by a conversation with Jack Stauss about red flags and decision making. 

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Hey Everyone! I just couldn’t help myself today. The mountains are popping off right now and we have extreme danger. These are not normal conditions. Things are dangerous and need to be taken seriously. Instead of going skiing, I had an extra espresso shot this morning,  called up my friend and local avalanche forecaster for Utah Mountain Adventures, Kiira Antenucci, and chatted about our current conditions. 

If you have questions or curiosities about what extreme danger means, how we got here, what to make of these hazards, and when things will chill out, then tune in for a quick chat.

Feel free to DM me on Instagram or email saltlakesnowcast@gmail.com with additional questions or if you'd like to come on the show. We’ll be back at the end of the week with a full episode and recap of these wild conditions.

Don’t forget to rate the podcast, subscribe, and download. We appreciate all of the support!

If you're interested in the Conceptual Model of Avalanche Hazard, check it out here.

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It's been a busy, active week in the backcountry and episodes like this are quickly becoming my favorite to record and produce.  There's a lot to talk about. We'll start today's show like usual by discussing the snow, weather, and avalanche conditions. Our house of cards is crumbling more and more everyday and this weekend has natural avalanche cycle written all over it. There have already been 40 backcountry avalanches reported to the UAC and I'm sure more and more observations will come in this weekend. Tune in to hear the complete story about what's going on in the backcountry.

Are you inta' the Uintas? In Part 2, we'll chat with local guide, educator, and avalanche forecaster Joey Manship about accessing this mountain range. He'll give us information about the weather and backcountry conditions to this seemingly elusive area. 

We'll close the episode by summarizing our weather forecast for the next week. We're measuring snow in feet. Not inches.

Thanks for your support! Keep sharing the SLSC with your ski community and let me know what you think.

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Welcome to 2024 and Episode Five of the SLSC. In Part One, we review what has been happening to our current snow surfaces during a long period of high pressure. Spoiler...it’s not good. Next, we have an interview with local writer, skier, and climate scientist Anneka Williams. 

Whether this is your first season in the Wasatch, you moved here a few years ago, or you were born in Salt Lake City, everybody was a beginner at some point. Anneka fills us in what it was like to move here during a historic Winter. If you’re a crusty local, take the time to reflect on your own coming of age in the Wasatch and if you just moved to town, listen to today’s episode for some great advice from Ani.

We close out today’s episode by getting stoked on the next week of active weather across the Central Wasatch.

Thanks for checking out the Snowcast. As always, I’d love to hear what you think about today’s episode and if you have something you want to hear on the pod, let me know! Be safe everybody and enjoy the snow. 

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Following the update on current backcountry conditions, we review the forecasted storm coming in this weekend. It’s been changing every few hours and I’m still not really sure what to expect. Either way, we need the moisture and every little bit helps! With our mountains hovering around 80% of average snow water equivalent, we have room for opportunity!

In part two this week, Jack and I chat with Carl Fisher from local non-profit Save Our Canyons. Carl is the outgoing Executive Director and has been with the organization for about twenty years. Along with chatting about conservation issues in the Wasatch, Carl gives us some important background information about the current Gondola project in Little Cottonwood Canyon. He informs us about corruption, greed, and cronyism that has driven development in our mountain range. Please give the full episode a listen and send us a DM with your thoughts.

As Carl is leaving the Wasatch, we want to say thanks as backcountry skiers for all his hard work in protecting our favorite playground. Carl and his family are generously matching all new member dues to Save our Canyons up to $2,000. To become a member, follow this link. 

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In Episode 3, we have an update from last week’s conversation about parking before recapping the amazing storm last Friday that produced the best conditions so far this season. After that, Billy Haas joins me for a discussion about what low and moderate avalanche hazard really means when we are dealing with persistent slab avalanche problems. We’ll discuss strategies for entering terrain when conditions are trending in a positive direction. Billy is one of the most well spoken people I know in the snow and avalanche world and is exceptional at translating data and science to real world decision making. He is an IFMGA guide, professional avalanche educator, and a passionate ski mountaineer. I hope you enjoy our honesty in the interview and remember to have patience and humility this coming weekend.

If you are curious about where these danger ratings and avalanche problems come from, check out this article titled A Conceptual Model for Avalanche Hazard. 

I encourage any backcountry skier or rider in the Wasatch to be a member of the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance. These folks are doing great work to build community and provide solutions to transportation problems. 

As always, reach out if you’d like to be on the Salt Lake Snowcast or have a story to share with our community. I would be psyched to share your art, activism, or community building efforts. Please talk about us to your ski partners and give us a follow on Instagram @saltlakesnowcast or send us an email saltlakesnowcast@gmail.com.

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In this week's episode, we start by diving into some of the numbers from our previous storm cycle. We'll review the avalanche activity and talk about current conditions in the backcountry.  Next, Jack and I did the work for you and have the low down on updates to parking in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. Things are changing and long gone are the days where you could wake up at 8am, get to Willow Fork at 9am, and park for free. We'll talk about transportation solutions, who is responsible, and why things are changing.

Jack and I briefly discuss the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance and their new membership program. We encourage you to head over to their website and sign up to be a member. It comes with great benefits and these folks are carrying a lot of the weight for the backcountry ski community by advocating for human-powered recreation in the Central Wasatch.

As we wait for the Town of Brighton to finalize the parking reservation system, you can follow @saltlakesnowcast for updates or visit brighton.utah.gov. 

Thanks for the support! See you on the skintrack. 

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In the first Episode of the Salt Lake Snowcast, I sit down with Jack Stauss to talk about the current Low Tide conditions in the Wasatch. We also have an interview with Utah Avalanche Center Forecaster Nikki Champion to reflect on last Winter and help us get stoked for the upcoming season. With a big storm on the way, tune in to get up to date information on the current conditions and hear about how much snow to expect this weekend.

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Welcome back to Season 2 of the Salt Lake Snowcast!

On today’s episode, we’ll start by looking at historical data for the Wasatch to see how nervous we really need to be about our low tide conditions. After that, Zack Little is back on the show to talk about first aid, communication, and preparedness for backcountry skiing. We've spent some time covering what happens when things go wrong, so I wanted to make sure we also did an episode about how to prevent things from going wrong in the first place.

If you'd like to support the show, consider becoming a member via buymeacoffee.com/saltlakesnowcast. You can also share the podcast with your friends and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for the love and we'll be back next week!

Links
CPR training
Stop the Bleed Training Here and Here
UAC Rescue and Wilderness Medicine

A few rescue tarps...
Alpine Threadworks
Function before Fashion
HMG
Jackson Backcountry

First Aid
If you're interested in taking a Wilderness First Aid class, there are many providers in the Salt Lake area. I'd encourage you to search around a little bit and see what works for you. Let me know if you have any questions.

Repair Kits
This Winter, the Salt Lake Snowcast plans to sell some premade backcountry repair kits. I'll update y'all once they are available.

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The Salt Lake Snowcast is a weekly podcast discussing snow, weather, and avalanche observations while also diving deep into some hot topics about our Wasatch Mountains through interviews with local skiers and riders. 

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It's been a long hot Summer and as temps are finally beginning to drop, I was feeling inspired to share a few thoughts about last Winter. I'll start with some appreciations and shoutouts and then reflect on our previous season. It was an amazing Winter to be a Wasatch skier and it's hard to imagine things getting better! I also have a few announcements from Utah Avy, Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, and Save Our Canyons. I can't wait for a new season of the Salt Lake Snowcast. Don't be shy and let me know what you think of the show and if you have any ideas for next season! I have so much gratitude to all the listens, streams, and shares. I'll be back once we can slide on snow again. 

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Hey Everyone! Our first season at the Salt Lake Snowcast is starting to wrap up. Before we finish, I wanted to do an episode on our most requested topic: avalanche education and backcountry mentorship. To talk with me about this on the show is local guide and avalanche forecaster Kiira Antenucci. Kiira and I chat about how to make the jump from intermediate to expert, ways to find mentorship and ski partners, and we share our own opinions about the state of avalanche education. Tune in for a passionate discussion.

It's been an awesome Winter in the Wasatch. With around 550" so far this year and 75" since the start of Spring, we are so lucky to call these mountains home. My next episode will be a season recap. Thanks for giving the Salt Lake Snowcast a listen. Please subscribe, follow, download, and review the podcast. Every little bit of support helps me grow this small, niche, local podcast.

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I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a little seasonally confused these days. We had vicious East winds followed by high pressure and now, Old Man Winter has returned. We could see another few feet of snow before the end of the month so get out there and ski it while you can! 

On today's episode, I had the chance to chat with my friend Chris Dickson from the San Juan Snowcast. Along with taking a behind the scenes look at both podcasts, we'll talk about our motivation behind these shows. I'll also tell a story from a near miss I had this past week and walk you through my decision making in the mountains. I've talked about it before, but Chris was a big inspiration for the Salt Lake Snowcast, so scroll through his page, check out his long list of topics he's covered, and give it a listen!

As always, thanks for the support. DMs are always open. I've got a few more episodes in me this season and then the pod will hibernate for the warm weather months. 

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The Salt Lake Snowcast is back this week with an interview from local skier Mark White AKA @spindrift65 on Instagram. Mark has been ski touring in the Wasatch for the past 40 years and has a perspective and approach to backcountry skiing that we haven’t really talked about this season. While he’s well known for his aesthetically pleasing powder turns and skin tracks, Mark is also prolific in making observations and paying attention to the mountains. 

When I started the SLSC this year, Mark was on my shortlist of folks to talk to and I’m stoked he was able to come on the show. One of my goals with the pod is to try and share knowledge by offering the community a new way to gain insight into backcountry skiing in the Wasatch. Mark’s interview this week is a great example of this and I think we can all learn something from his approach to the mountains.

Lastly, a final reminder to subscribe to the podcast and never hesitate to send us a DM!

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After taking last week off, we are back this weekend to talk with Jack Stauss about our current conditions as we head into another active period of weather. March is usually my favorite ski month with longer days and a more stable snowpack. We’ve made it over the hump of what we call Deep Winter, but we can still pretty much see any type of weather imaginable moving forward through the season. Buckle up, because March is coming in like a lion with lots of wind and moisture.

Thanks for checking out the Salt Lake Snowcast. We’ll be doing weekly episode for at least the next month. If you’re interested in sponsoring the show, or if you have ideas for a sponsorship, reach out to the DMs on Instagram or saltlakesnowcast@gmail.com. To me, what's more important than a sponsorship is hearing from listeners about what you think about the show, giving us a five star rating, and sharing our episodes and Instagram posts.  We'll be back next week!

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Thanks for checking out the Salt Lake Snowcast! This is our longest episode yet, but it's an important story to hear and I think any backcountry skier or rider will benefit from the accident analysis and discussion had in this week's episode. 

After a few sunny and calm days in the mountains, we are turning the corner and heading into another active period of weather. I’m already excited to add up the snow totals on next week’s episode! In the beginning of today’s show, I’ll recap a what was a busy weekend for skier triggered avalanches before analyzing one of these events.

In the second part of the episode, I’ll turn the podcast over to Zack Little and Billy Haas to tell the story of a rescue in Lisa Falls from this past Saturday where they helped facilitate a helicopter evacuation of a solo skier they saw get avalanched 1500 feet down the couloir. Using this accident as a case study, we dissect travel etiquette in the Wasatch, the dangers of ignoring red flags, the importance terrain management, communication, and next steps for our backcountry community. I’d like this to be an ongoing conversation, so don’t be shy and send us an email or reach out to us on Instagram.

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What a week of powder skiing! A bit of wind early in the week, but things really turned on with right side up snow and light density powder coming in the last few days with light winds. This weekend should be all time conditions with bottomless turns under clear and cold sunny skies. Utah is still above average for the year with both snow and water. We’re doing much better than other parts of the country, so enjoy the snow and be grateful for what we have!

In Part 2 of today’s show, I sit down and talk with Alex Veilleux from Save Our Great Salt Lake. Alex is part of a movement hoping to prevent the aridification of our beautiful and beloved Great Salt Lake. We’ll chat about how the drying up of the lake will impact skiers and riders through dust and the loss of lake effect snow. The episode wraps up with some advice and ideas for ways to get involved.

Thanks for the support this past week! As always, I love hearing what people think about the show. If you ever have something you want to talk about and are interested in being a guest on the podcast, let me know! You can find us on IG at @saltlakesnowcast or reach out via email saltlakesnowcast@gmail.com

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This was a tough week in the Wasatch. I had something planned for the Snowcast, but it just didn’t seem appropriate to publish it given the current events. We’ve had two fatalities in the backcountry this week. And that’s heart wrenching. At a minimum, we need to acknowledge these events and talk about them. It doesn’t feel like enough to me to just take a business as usual approach to the podcast or my personal backcountry skiing. "The show must go on" doesn't really apply here.

So, I've decided to do something different. I'm sharing something I've been working on for the past few years. It's an essay about grief, loss, and the danger of backcountry skiing. It's personal. I've never known when would be a good time to share this, but now seems appropriate. We have dangerous conditions in the backcountry right now. Please be safe. Consider giving the terrain a break, taking a deep breath, and just going for a nice walk in the woods with your friends.

Here are links to the two articles I discuss in the podcast:
Perception of Risk in Avalanche Terrain by Krister Kristensen, Manuel Genswein, and Werner Munter
I am Dangerous by Drew Hardesty

For mental health resources...
Wasatch Backcountry Alliance resource list
American Avalanche Association resource list

I also want to give a special thanks this week to the friends and ski partners who gave this a listen in advance and helped me produce the episode.  

If you'd like to support the show, consider becoming a member via buymeacoffee.com/saltlakesnowcast. You can also share the podcast with your friends and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for the love and we'll be back next week!