Join us for the 13th Annual NRSAW

Jason Konigsberg

When Do Whumpfs Correlate with Avalanches?

Triggering whumpfs is a primary indicator of unstable snowpack conditions. Although backcountrytravelers and avalanche forecasters rely on whumpfsas a warning sign of potential avalanches, there islittle formal research to confirm this relationship. Jason Konigsberg and collaborators in Colorado studiedwhumpf and avalanche data to analyze correlations and found instances when avalanche observationsincreased yet whumpf observations decreased! Jason brought this important research to ISSW and we’relucky to have him make the trip to Montana to share it with us in November.Jason is a Senior Forecaster for the Colorado Avalanche Information Center’s Northern Region. Jasonjoined CAIC in 2015. He made the pilgrimage from the east coast to Steamboat Springs in 1999. Jasonjoined the ski patrol at Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah in 2005, and became part of the resort’s snowsafety team. The need formore winter led Jason to spend summers in New Zealand as the snow safetyofficer at Craigieburn Valley ski area and the public forecaster for the Craigieburn Range. Now adjustingto life with only one winter per year, Jason spends his summers riding bikes,combing through avalancheand weather data, and avoiding climates where daytime high temperatures exceed 70 degrees.

Cam Johnson 

April Fooled in the Flathead: The Hazard of Late Season Persistent Weak Layers 

We are so excited for this presentation by our very own Cam Johnson! In recent years, the FAC observed a spike in late-season near-misses and accidents, and April now ranks as the month with the second highest tally of incidents in the region (10), behind only February (29; 2017-2023). To understand why, Cam and FAC Director Blase Reardon dug into the weather, snowpack, and human conditions leading to avalanche incidents that occurred in early April 2020 and 2023. At NRSAW, Cam will share key takeaways from their research… so we don’t get fooled again! 

Cam began forecasting for the Flathead Avalanche Center in 2019, after migrating north from the central Wasatch Mountains of Utah. Prior to his work with us, Cam spent eight years as a ski patroller including three years as the Avalanche Mitigation Technician for Solitude Mountain Resort. During this time he was an active member with Wasatch Backcountry Rescue. Cam has taught both recreational and professional avalanche courses for the American Avalanche Institute and The Patrol Fund. When Cam isn’t working on snow, he enjoys a slower pace of life watching his baby daughter learn to crawl. 

Devon’Oneil 

Why Our Stories Matter 

We can’t resist a good graph… but how about a story? At NRSAW, journalist Devon O’Neil will discuss the importance of the tales we tell each other (in observations, over a beer, through published works) and why the hard ones are often the most impactful.  

Devon is a correspondent for Outside Magazine and avid ski tourer based in Breckenridge, Colorado. He is currently writing a book for HarperCollins about a mysterious backcountry accident that haunted a small Rocky Mountain town for years. You’ve probably read some of his work—and if you haven’t, you should! 

One of our favorites is his near miss essay, “I Reported on Avalanches for 15 Years. Then I Triggered a Huge One.” We think this is a prime example of how powerful storytelling can be: 

“The crowns spanned about half a mile, and we estimated the fracture to be around ten feet deep on either edge of the bowl, leaving bare ground exposed across the basin… I spent the next two days shoveling out my yard and replaying what happened like a GIF.”