Sierra Avalanche Center

10/15/2026

CAW Speaker Preview: Victor McNeil 🏔

"Beyond the Classroom: How Avalanche Education Grew in Northeast Oregon's Snowmobile Community"

Traditional avalanche education doesn't always land with motorized riders. Victor's talk shares how the Wallowa Avalanche Center changed its approach, from motorized-specific AIARE courses to a Motorized Ambassador Program and, most recently, a Motorized Observer Group.

Victor has been Executive Director and Lead Forecaster at the Wallowa Avalanche Center since 2017, and teaches AIARE courses for motorized and human-powered users.

📅 Sunday, Oct 25 · 9 am – 5 pm
📍 North Tahoe Event Center, Kings Beach

10/14/2026

California Avalanche Workshop (CAW) Speaker Preview 🏔
Kelly McNeil, PhD

Talk: "Geared Up, but Ready to Rescue? What the Data Reveals About Motorized Backcountry Riders"

More motorized riders are carrying rescue gear, but owning it isn't the same as knowing how to use it. Drawing on a survey of motorized recreationists and 50 years of fatal avalanche data, McNeil looks at that gap. She's a professor at Eastern Oregon University, an avalanche educator, a ski guide, and a forecasting contributor at the Wallowa Avalanche Center.

📅 Sunday, Oct 25 · 9 am – 5 pm
📍 North Tahoe Event Center, Kings Beach

We are looking for Volunteers! Link in Bio.

10/13/2026

10/13/2026

We spent the week in Whistler at the International Snow Science Workshop, and our team made a strong showing. Education Manager Wendy Antibus and board member Dave Fiore both presented, and we met a few locals along the way. 🐻

Now we’re bringing the best of ISSW home to the California Avalanche Workshop on Sunday, Oct 25 at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach.

🎟️ Ticket link in bio.

10/08/2026

Talk less, listen more. 🏔

At the California Avalanche Workshop this year, clinical and forensic psychologist Sara Boilen is digging into psychological safety and candor in the mountains: what it takes for your group to actually speak up in avalanche terrain.

Sara is the founder of Sweetgrass Psychological Services in Northwest Montana, researches the human factor in the avalanche patch, and is known to carry a layer cake in her backpack. Partner goals.

📍 North Tahoe Event Center, Kings Beach
📅 Sunday, Oct 25 · 9 am – 5 pm

We are looking for Volunteers! Link in Bio.

Registration link in bio.

10/07/2026

California Avalanche Workshop (CAW) Speaker Preview 🏔
Christian Jordan, Mount Shasta Avalanche Center

Talk: The 2025/26 Winter on Mount Shasta

Christian reviews last winter on Mount Shasta, focusing on graupel and crust instabilities, then looks back at the mountain's "Cosmic Cycle." He's heading into his second season as a forecaster with the Mount Shasta Avalanche Center. He's also an AIARE instructor, previously worked for the Crested Butte Avalanche Center, and spends his summers as a climbing ranger on Shasta.

📅 Sunday, Oct 25 · 9 am – 5 pm
📍 North Tahoe Event Center, Kings Beach

We are looking for Volunteers! Link in Bio.

10/05/2026

Cool training opportunity with our colleagues at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab !

A specialized snow theory & field measurement school geared toward industry professionals and new academics

10/05/2026

The Sierra Avalanche Center scholarship program is named after James “JB” Brown who passed away in the spring of 2022. JB was the president of the Sierra Avalanche Center Board, a longtime Board member and instrumental in starting our scholarship program.

Applications will be accepted October 1st - 31st.

As part of our mission to educate the public and foster a culture of safety in the backcountry, the Sierra Avalanche Center is offering scholarships for avalanche education this season. Scholarships can be used for American Avalanche Association approved Level 1, Level 2, Rescue, Pro-1, Pro-2, Pro-rescue and Pro-AVSAR courses. Applicants need to make sure they meet the prerequisites for the course they are targeting.

Awards will be announced in November. Recipients are required to provide photos and a short summary to SAC after completing their course.

An ideal candidate is someone who:

Regularly recreates or performs snow-oriented work in the SAC forecast area

Already skis, snowboards, hikes, or climbs on snow.

Might not be able to take an avalanche course without financial support.

06/29/2026

Each spring, we host the Bill Foster Professional Development Workshop, a free gathering for Tahoe-area snow and avalanche professionals to reflect after the season, reconnect, and prepare for next winter. It's one of our favorite events.

This year, we had the privilege of hearing from Doug Chabot, who recently retired after 24 years directing the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. Doug brought the room into the mountains of Tajikistan and Afghanistan with his talk, "Snow, Rain and an Earthquake: A Massive Avalanche Cycle." It's the kind of presentation that puts everything in perspective.

Thank you to Doug, all our presenters, and the professionals who show up every year to reflect on the season together. And a huge thank you to our sponsors who make this event possible: , , , , , and Kirkwood Rescue Avalanche Dogs (KRAD).

See you next spring. 🏔️

04/28/2026

Tuesday, April 28, 2026 - 7:20AM
Click here for more information: https://www.sierraavalanchecenter.org/forecasts
THE BOTTOM LINE

As the weather warms over the next few days, expect the snow to go from crusty in the morning to wet and mushy as the day warms up, or if rain falls on the snow. Once wet snow forms, keep an eye out for wet loose avalanches on steep slopes. Consider moving away from avalanche terrain if the snow feels mushy or if you start sinking into boot-top-deep wet snow.

This will be the last general update of the season. We will issue a general spring statement on April 30 with helpful information for springtime conditions.

Backcountry Avalanche, Snow, and Weather Information for the greater Lake Tahoe area