About the CBAC

The Crested Butte Avalanche Center’s (CBAC) sole purpose is to prevent the loss of life, limb, and property to natural and triggered occurrence of avalanches in the backcountry surrounding Crested Butte.  The CBAC provides valuable and needed information and education to residents, visitors, and recreationalists in the Gunnison Valley, disseminating content through website, email, radio, social media, newspaper, and outreach events.  The CBAC issues daily avalanche advisories, including mountain weather forecasts, avalanche danger ratings, expected avalanche problems, travel advice, and forecast discussion, through the winter season, with fall and spring updates as conditions warrant. The CBAC provides additional resources, such as public and professional snowpack, weather, and avalanche observations, weather stations, and educational events and material.

Than Acuff - Executive Director

After 25 years of skiing the backcountry around Crested Butte and 10 years involved with the Crested Butte Avalanche Center as a supporter and board President, I moved into the Executive Director position in 2020.  Backcountry skiing is a passion of mine be it deep pow, corn, breaker crust or even the occasional high peak sastrugi. It’s all good. Though deep pow is the ski of choice. While weather and avalanche forecasting is an extremely dynamic endeavor, we are fortunate to have our forecast team return year in and year out who are extremely knowledgeable about the nuances of our forecast area and continue to remain on the forefront of the larger avalanche forecasting world. Have fun, stay safe.

Zach Guy - Lead Forecaster

Zach started avalanche forecasting for the CBAC in 2011 after finishing his master's degree in snow science at Montana State University. Zach grew up in the mountains of Colorado and has been drawn to avalanche safety since his college days at Western Washington University. Apart from his career at the CBAC, Zach has also worked in snow safety at Irwin's cat ski operation for nearly a decade, and he directed the Flathead Avalanche Center for three years.  Having sampled life in a number of mountain towns around the West, Zach and his wife Mary have made Crested Butte their home because of their love for the community and surroundings here.

Evan Ross – Forecaster

Evan Ross has been actively studying snow science and seeking face fulls of snow since the early 2000s. He joined the CBAC team during the 2014 winter season. Evan grew up ski racing in Jackson Hole before heading off to college in Colorado. It was while studying at Fort Lewis in Durango that Evan was exposed to the world of backcountry skiing for the first time and it has since turned into an obsession. Evan moved to Crested Butte in the winter of 2011. When Evan is not forecasting for the CBAC he runs www.powdervacation.com where he travels with guests to seek some amazing vacations, or teaches private avalanche education courses.

Eric Murrow – Forecaster

Eric has spent 7 years with the Crested Butte Avalanche Center and around 20 winters in Crested Butte.  Outside of forecasting, he teaches AIARE avalanche courses, works snow safety for the Gothic Mountain Tour and the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse, and is a board member and volunteer with the Crested Butte Mountain Rescue Team.  In his freetime Eric can be found exploring ski lines in quiet places around Gunnison County.

Aaron Peterson- Outreach Director

Aaron fell in love with snow growing up in Minnesota. After college he traveled west to work as a guide in Colorado, Alaska, and California and ski patrolled in the Sierras. He has also directed outdoor education programs, most recently as the Avalanche Program Lead for Bluebird Backcountry. He and his family settled in Crested Butte in 2014 where he also works as a splitboard guide and avalanche educator. When the snow melts, Aaron returns to his other career working as a chiropractor specializing in adjusting horses. The rest of the time he chases his young son around on skis, bikes, or running trails. 

Karen Williams – Development Director

Karen grew up in Albuquerque, NM, and attended the University of Vermont. She graduated with a degree in Small Business Management and moved to the Gunnison Valley in 2001. Karen worked and lived in Irwin for several years, and relied heavily on the information the CBAC provided to keep her safe on her commute as well as on her backcountry adventures. Karen has worked in both the public and private sector and brings a wealth of knowledge in running small businesses and non-profit organizations. She is excited to put her skills to good use to make the CBAC is the best organization it can be!

Elise Brizes – Intern

Elise recently moved to Crested Butte from the Front Range, where she has spent her last few winters cat ski guiding and recreating in the backcountry after graduating from CU in 2019. As this year’s forecasting intern, Elise is eager to collect data in the field and share her observations with the public. Under the mentorship of the CBAC forecasting team, Elise hopes to gain experience in applied snow science and contribute to the greater safety of the winter backcountry community in CB. Outside of forecasting, she works as a contracted chemical process engineer, and is involved in community-building projects centered around rock climbing. See you out there!