Executive Director/ Lead Forecaster Job Announcement

CBACAnnouncements, News

The Crested Butte Avalanche Center (CBAC) is seeking to fill the positions of Executive Director and Lead Avalanche Forecaster to begin in the spring or fall of 2017.   The ideal candidate will fill both roles, but we encourage those interested in only one of the roles to apply. The Director/Lead Forecaster of the CBAC is a full-time, seasonal position. The incumbent will oversee all operations of the CBAC including the creation of avalanche advisories, avalanche education and outreach, fundraising, and collaborative efforts, while supervising employees, including other avalanche specialists.

The position is salaried for a 6 month season (October 15 through April 15), with some part-time work commitments required during the off-season.  Starting salary will range from $18,000 to $25,000, depending on qualifications and experience.  See below for job description and desired qualifications. For questions about the position or job qualifications, contact Zach Guy (zach.guy@gmail.com).  To submit an application, please send a complete resume, cover letter, and at least three references to cbavalanche@gmail.com.  Applications are due by February 3rd, 2017. Depending on availability of applicants, the position will begin in March of 2017 or October of 2017.

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. CBAC is a 501 (c) 3 non profit organization. The Crested Butte Avalanche Center is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR  job description

  • Working with the Board of Directors, oversee, plan, and manage an operational budget.
  • Supervise and manage all staff (including forecasters and development director), recruit and hire staff, assign/schedule work, communicate performance expectations and evaluate performance to staff, develop performance improvement plans, resolve informal complaints, and ensure that subordinate staff are trained and coached to assigned work in accordance with job descriptions and expectations.
  • Plan and budget professional education and training opportunities for staff, including ISSW, CSAW, and other courses.
  • Write, acquire, and manage grants to fund projects and program work
  • Design sponsorship packages and requests and seek sponsorship opportunities by fostering relationships with local, regional, and national businesses and partners.
  • Lead in the organization, promotion, coordination, and execution of fundraising, outreach, and educational events.  Coordinate and meet with CBAC board of directors to plan, organize, or review events and fundraising.
  • Attend, present at, or set up booths at various events to enhance outreach, such as the outdoor industry films, info fairs, Avalanche Awareness Nights, and other public or non-profit events.
  • Establish and promote private donation opportunities through membership drives, meetings, events, website, and personal communication.  Seek to design or conduct new or alternative fundraising opportunities through events, grants, sponsorships, and donors.
  • Seek and produce new or progressive education or outreach opportunities or events for the public
  • Oversee and carry out office space rental and setup, and computer and internet support.
  • Oversee licenses, insurance, workman’s compensation, and other operational logistics.
  • Provide ongoing guidance, coordination, and training to staff and volunteers.
  • Oversee the purchase, licensing, insurance, maintenance, storage, and management of CBAC equipment, including snowmobiles, snow safety, and field equipment.

LEAD AVALANCHE FORECASTER job description

Minimum Qualifications:

  1. Bachelor’s or higher degree in a science related field.
  2. AIARE Level 3 certification, AAA AVPRO, CAA Level 2, or equivalent experience/certification.
  3. Three years of professional snowpack evaluation experience.
  4. Proven proficiency in weather forecasting, field observations, public communication, and computer skills.

Job Description:

  • Create and oversee the production of daily mountain weather and avalanche advisories/warnings for a large geographic area surrounding Crested Butte, CO.
  • Provide expert leadership and guidance in regards to analyzing the snowpack to direct and conduct field work and to oversee the development of avalanche advisories and avalanche warnings.
  • Design, prepare, and conduct training exercises for staff, including safety protocols, field work standards, and workshops in writing, weather forecasting, avalanche danger and problems, video production and editing, website design, and more.
  • Oversee and supervise the safety and quality of forecaster fieldwork by establishing safety and communication protocols for fieldwork.
  • Manage the “Pro Observers Program” and internship program.
  • Manage, analyze, and oversee the recording and maintenance of weather, snowpack, and avalanche data for producing and assessing the quality of forecasts, pattern identification, and scientific studies.
  • Manage and maintain CBAC’s website (www.cbavalanchecenter.org) and implement website improvements using a working knowledge of safety messaging and design, computers, internet applications, word processing, and spreadsheets
  • Create, edit, and manage messaging to the public through multiple media platforms including website, email, social media platforms, radio and phone recordings, and print.
  • Present at or lead in CBAC educational/ awareness classes or events to the general public using power points, videos, in-field demonstrations, and public speaking.
  • Facilitate and maintain CBAC’s collaboration and partnership with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) and the National Avalanche Center (NAC) through regular communication, data and information sharing, and more.
  • Manage informal collaborations and mutually benefiting partnerships between local ski resort and guiding operations.
  • Oversee the maintenance and operation of CBAC weather stations within the forecast area.
  • Write or contribute content to avalanche related articles in local, regional, and national newspapers, magazines, journals, and blogs.
  • Design and conduct research to improve forecast quality or promote the advancement of scientific understanding of snow and avalanches.  Seek to improve or integrate forecasts and safety messaging to the community via alternative or new methods.
  • Maintain and dispense to forecast staff a professional knowledge of snow physics including snow metamorphism, the distribution patterns of common weak layers, the mechanics of slab failure and classification of snow crystals by attending conferences, workshops, and reviewing literature, journal articles, conference proceedings, and other media.
  • Attend and/or review minutes and proceedings from industry related meetings, such as ISSW, National Avalanche Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and more to stay current with industry policies, standards, and updates.
  • Provide daily feedback on the accuracy and quality of staff-produced avalanche forecasts. Lead forecaster meetings and discussions between staff pertaining to avalanche concerns and forecasts.
  • Establish, maintain, and manage a study plot to aid in snowpack analysis and studies for solving avalanche problems.
  • Respond to avalanche incidents, conduct accident site investigations and interviews, and produce reports of avalanche accidents to industry standards.
  • Produce season-end summaries and reports including season snowpack and avalanche summaries and user statistics and reports.
  • Respond to media inquiries about avalanche conditions or accidents. Respond to avalanche related requests and inquiries, such as requests for recreational or professional training, educational presentations, feedback on publications, and more.
  • Coordinate the relationship with and production of newspaper, radio, and television broadcasts and public service announcements for avalanche information and warnings.
  • Oversees and review daily Skype meetings between CBAC and CAIC staff to ensure compliance, quality, and comprehension of forecast problems
  • During periods of dangerous avalanche conditions, monitor conditions throughout the day and communicate with CAIC to issue watches and warnings.  Relay avalanche watches and warnings through all media and public messaging outlets.
  • Analyze, evaluate, and verify raw meteorological, snowpack, and avalanche data from instruments and observations to write and issue daily public weather and avalanche advisories for regional snow stability and avalanche hazards.  Avalanche advisories include avalanche danger ratings for three elevation bands, avalanche problems (size, distribution, and likelihood), travel advice, and a detailed discussion.
  • Evaluate weather maps and models, weather forecast products, and data for producing daily mountain weather forecasts to be used in conjunction with avalanche advisories.
  • While working in harsh winter environments, use expert skills in snowmobile and alpine ski touring to travel through steep, avalanche terrain in order to conduct fieldwork and avalanche condition assessments.  Regularly operate snowmobiles and skis in deep powder, icy conditions, and difficult terrain, including but not limited to steep slopes, rough terrain, poor visibility, and areas with high avalanche danger.  
  • Perform basic repairs on snowmobiles. 
  • Observe, collect, and measure meteorological, snow, and avalanche phenomena with scientific equipment and instrumentation while traveling through backcountry terrain.  Conduct snow stability tests and record snowpack observations in the field to industry standards.
  • Publish snowpack, weather, and avalanche observations on CBAC and CAIC’s data platforms, including media, snow profiles, and video content for improved comprehension by the public. Film, edit, and publish videos pertaining to avalanche conditions.  
  • Analyze and review data to confirm and improve the accuracy and efficacy of daily forecasts and products.
  • Disseminate daily avalanche advisories through website, email, social media platforms, telephone, public radio, and other outlets.  

Slow start to the season leads into an active late November through mid December

CBAC2016 - 17 Weekly Snowpack Summaries, Weekly Snowpack Summaries

Our winter had a slow start this year, with mild temperatures and little snow through mid November. Any snow left on the ground from October’s light snowfall events was confined to northerly aspects at high elevations. This snow formed a pronounced layer of facets, coupled with crusts in some cases, creating a future persistent weak layer.

11/14/16 – Shady northeasterly aspects of Purple ridge snow covered with sunny aspects bare.

 

From mid to late November, we saw a few small storms. This new snow began to facet on various aspects. The storms were often windy with lots of snow transport forming stout, reactive, slabs on top of the October facets. Natural and skier triggered avalanches were observed during this time, mostly D1 to D2 in size.

11/20/16 – Skier triggered avalanche near Yule Pass. Hard slab that slid on October facets on north/northeast aspect.

 

The first major storm of the season occurred on November 28th, with accumulations near 2 feet in the western parts of the forecast area and less in the east. The Schofield Pass snotel site received 2.2” of SWE.

11/27/16 – Satellite image showing the major late November storm impacting Colorado.

 

This snow, combined with some existing slabs from the previous 10 days fell on sensitive weak layers near the ground on high elevation, northerly aspects. This caused the first avalanche cycle of the season, with HIGH avalanche danger above treeline on November 28th. High elevation northerly aspects were the most suspect slopes, with numerous natural slab avalanches up to size D2. At least a few avalanches also occurred on southerly aspects, including a close call in Red Lady Bowl on November 29.

11/29/16 – Skier triggered avalanche in southeast facing Red Lady Bowl after the November 28th storm.

 

12/1/16 – Instability Rose showing suspect northerly aspects.

 

We then experienced a dry spell until December 6th. Instabilities lingered through this time, especially at high elevations, where a D2 avalanche was remotely triggered from a distance on December 4th. The dry spell allowed for the formation of near surface facets and crust-facet layers on most elevations and aspects. The following video highlights the crust facet combinations found on sunnier aspects. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9jli5JTzaw&feature=youtu.be

Starting on the December 6th, the forecast area got back in the storm track, with zonal flow delivering storms every couple of days. This new snow piled up and added a load to the weak layers still present near the ground and also created slabs on the recently formed weak layers. The following two snowpack profiles exemplify the weak structures on both north and south aspects going into an active weather pattern in early December.

12/7/16 – Snowpack profile of north aspect on Schuylkill Ridge showing the December 6th interface on near surface facets at 62 cm and the weak depth hoar near the ground.

 

12/7/16 – Snowpack profile of southeast aspect on Schuylkill Ridge showing the December 6th interface with a crust sitting on weak facets.

 

Numerous small avalanches were observed failing on the December 6th weak layers, like this small soft slab on December 9th. On December 12th, a snowmobiler near Washington Gulch was caught and fully buried in a gulley, after triggering a 3.5’ persistent slab that failed on the ground.

12/12/16 – Snowmobile triggered, caught, and fully buried in persistent slab avalanche that failed on facets near the ground.

 

The consistent storm pattern ended with a bang on the 15th through 17th of December when a very powerful trough hit the region. Fueled by Pacific deep moisture, the storm was generally very warm and wet with low snow-liquid ratios. Near the end of the storm, late on the 16th, a powerful cold front passed over dropping temperatures up to 30 degrees. The cold front brought with it wind gusts up to 100 mph and snowfall rates up to 4” per hour. The Schofield Pass Snotel site recorded a massive 4.8” of SWE during the mere 36-hour extent of the storm. The 4.8” of SWE only amounted to 31” of snow due to the storm’s warm temperatures. Closer to town the Butte Snotel recorded 2” of SWE and 15“ of snow.

12/15/16 – Satellite image showing the plume of pacific moisture being directed at Colorado.

 

The December 16th-17th storm added a huge load to our relatively weak snowpack, causing a widespread avalanche cycle. An Avalanche Warning was in effect on both the 16th and 17th, and the avalanche danger was rated as HIGH at all elevations for both days. Numerous D2 to D3 avalanches, both natural and skier triggered, were observed at various elevations and aspects in the forecast area. These avalanches generally failed on weak layers near the ground, but there was also a widespread mid storm instability caused by a stellar dendrite layer that resulted in many small storm slab avalanches. On the first clear day after the storm,on December 18th, a solo skier triggered a very large (D3) avalanche in Red Lady Bowl after 4 other skiers had skied the bowl earlier in the day. The avalanche propagated across much of the bowl but luckily the skier was not caught.

12/18/16 – Large skier triggered avalanche in south to southeast facing Red Lady Bowl resulting in a close call.

 

12/18/16 – Large avalanche crown covering multiple aspects and elevations on Mount Bellview.

 

12/19/16 – Avalanche Rose showing recent large avalanches.

 

Finally, after the late start to the season, storm after storm from late November through mid December has brought our snowpack up to above average levels. As of December 18th the Gunnison River Basin’s snowpack is at 118% of average.

12/18/16 – Gunnison River Basin snowpack summary showing our current snowpack at 118% of average.