Military units, tactical law enforcement teams, special ops, SAR squads and helo outfits, I find myself doing more and more alpine and avalanche trainings for these groups. Often, forays into the mountains are but one slice of a much larger mission menu. Unlike a professional backcountry guide who is “out in the business” every day, these professional operators must be well versed in a variety of environments and response strategies. Often, significant time may pass between a

​ "If nothing good is happening anywhere and at anytime in the San Juans, how do you get out an enjoy the backcountry in winter?" -every student, every course... After scaring another group of avalanche students straight this weekend, with warnings and tales of the persistent slab horror show we often manage in the San Juans, I wanted to provide a brief reflection on Strategic Mindset. This is a tool that we use daily as professionals but also one that can be easily adopted b

​​And (s)he finally obeyed the calendar and honored us with a righteous dump. CAIC has put out the first Avalanche Watch for the season today. (sucks I gotta roll some mountain passes) This weekend was the first Venture Snowboards Splitboard Specific Level One of 2018. A good time was had by all but there was some hard driving and difficult weather to contend with. Micracously, one of my co-instructors spun off the road on the way up to Red Mountain Pass and totaled her truck

​ Coal Bank is bare with patchy bullshit. Molas is still pretty thin. (~50cm NTL avg.) RMP is doing okay (~90cm NTL avg.) with more coming Sat-Mon! In addition to a lot of wet slide action due to this week's high temps, there is still slab avalanche activity happening. They might be tough to pop but if you get a slab rocking and rolling, expect big consequences! Below, are two obs from the past 48 hrs. Have fun and safe travels this weekend! Above- remote triggered from above

Last week, I had to teach height of snow measurements using a patio table....albeit the class was in downtown Durango, but it is February! Just when I was starting to get nervous about another week of melt, we got crushed on RMP yesterday. More in store for this weekend-Remember, this is a large load on a shitty pack; Wide margins and conservative mindset people. Here are the final storm totals from the past two days: 24 hr snow/h2o equiv 2-day Storm

New video out from Yeti this week. Camp4 Collective's work is simply stunning. The guide is now the client....I can relate. Enjoy!

I've been using these two videos more and more lately. I love the graphics and ease through which these complex concepts are unpacked. Check em' out- Avalanche Danger Rating Explained Avalanche Problems Explained

When you live where the rest of the world comes for vacation, everyday is a blessing. Click the movie above to see highlights from a week of rad adventures with new friends!