SPEAKERS
Pascal Haegeli
Bio
Pascal Haegeli is a professor at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC, where he leads the SFU Avalanche Research Program. Together with his team of passionate and enthusiastic colleagues, he works on a wide range of avalanche safety-related research projects, which ranging from snowpack and avalanche hazard modelling to avalanche terrain exposure mapping, accident analyses, and risk communication. He has been working with the North American avalanche safety communities and other international partners for over 20 years.
Presentation
USERS’ AWARENESS AND RESPONSE TO UNCERTAINTY INFORMATION IN PUBLIC AVALANCHE FORECASTS
In this presentation, I will first introduce the audience to the concept of uncertainty in avalanche forecasts and the potential sources. After that, I will present the results of a large survey we conducted to better understand avalanche forecast users' awareness and response to uncertainty information in public forecasts.
Simon Horton
Bio
Simon Horton is a Research Officer and Public Forecaster with Avalanche Canada. He holds a PhD in Avalanche Mechanics from the University of Calgary and a Diploma in Meteorology from UBC. His work focuses on developing numerical avalanche forecasting methods, grounded in a strong understanding of mountain weather. Simon also teaches Intro to Weather for the Canadian Avalanche Association and is involved with several weather-related projects at Avalanche Canada.
Presentation
SHARPEN YOUR BACKCOUNTRY WEATHER SKILLS
With so many weather apps and websites available, it can be challenging to determine which ones to trust and how to utilise them effectively. This presentation helps you make sense of the options, covering essential mountain weather fundamentals, how to interpret forecasts, and the strengths and limitations of different tools for planning any trip into the mountains. Bring your weather questions!
Oli Meilleur
Bio
Oli is an avalanche forecaster and snowmobile guide with Great Canadian Snowmobile Tours, where he’s spent the past eight years leading riders through big mountain terrain and keeping them safe. His path began on skis—after several years working ski patrol, he transitioned to sled-skiing before fully embracing life as a sledder.
Originally from Quebec, Oli moved to Revelstoke in 2007 for the skiing and quickly fell in love with the mountains. Eventually, he traded skis for a sled, making the backcountry his home. When he’s not guiding or forecasting, he teaches with the CMBGA and volunteers as an active member of Revelstoke Search and Rescue.
Presentation
CLOSE CALL ON BOULDER MOUNTAIN: A CASE STUDY ON AN AVALANCHE INCIDENT THAT COULD HAVE HAD A VERY DIFFERENT OUTCOME.
On February 26, 2024, a group of snowmobilers were recreating in the Boulder Mountain area when a large avalanche was triggered and buried a member of the group. This presentation will examine an avalanche incident on Boulder Mountain and discuss trip preparation, training, and terrain choices, which are essential components of your riding skill set.
SARAH OSBERG
Bio
Sarah Osberg loves skiing with her eyes in the summer and sliding on snow in the winter. She is the Program Coordinator and Instructor for the Mountain Adventure Skills Training (MAST) program at College of the Rockies, where she teaches wilderness travel, avalanche training, winter camping, and a wide range of mountain skills. With over two decades of experience leading expeditions and teaching outdoor education across Canada and beyond, Sarah is passionate about leadership development, risk management, and connecting people to wild places.
Sarah is thrilled to raise her two girls (4 and 6 years old) in the incredible mountain town of Fernie and call it her landing place. She considers herself a lifelong learner in all things outdoors, caring deeply about the environments she wanders through and the people who choose to join. Stoked for EVSAW 2025!
Presentation
HUMAN FACTORS AND AVALANCHE HAZARD FOR MULTI-DAY EXCURSIONS
As we venture further afield, beyond day trips and into the realm of multi-day winter travel, our preparation, knowledge, skills, and self-reliance become even more crucial. What changes as you go from a day to a multi-day trip in terms of our relationship to avalanche hazard and decision-making? How can technology continue to assist us, and what are the limitations? How can we train our day trip habits for more remote multi-day adventures?
olivia johnson
Bio
Originally from Calgary, Olivia moved to Fernie, BC, after university, where an introduction to the ski industry through a heli-skiing company in New Zealand sparked a long-term career in snow safety. She began as a ski patroller and later advanced to assistant forecaster at Fernie Alpine Resort. With a decade of experience in snow and avalanche safety and mountain operations, Olivia now works as the South Rockies Field Team Lead for Avalanche Canada. She also served as president of the Elk Valley Snow and Avalanche Workshop (EVSAW) for 5 years, supporting professional development and knowledge sharing within the avalanche community. In addition to her work in the field, Olivia is an avalanche safety instructor, committed to public education and backcountry risk management.
Presentation
LEARING FROM LOSS - THE AVALANCHE CANADA INCIDENT DATABASE
This presentation introduces Avalanche Canada’s new Avalanche Fatality Database—an evolving resource designed not to collect dust, but to bring meaning, learning, and growth from our most difficult experiences in the mountains.
Every avalanche accident, fatal or not, has something to teach us. As recreationists and professionals, our survival depends on our willingness to seek out and carry forward those lessons. Avalanche Canada recognizes that fatal accidents are profoundly traumatic events, yet they also hold the potential for deep understanding.
By gathering, organizing, and sharing this information, the Fatality Archive helps move our community beyond remembrance into integration—transforming loss into knowledge that shapes safer decisions for the future.
This initiative represents more than data collection; it’s about honouring those lost by ensuring their stories continue to teach, resonate, and save lives.
Nicole Koshure and Cam Campbell
Bio’s
Nicole Koshure
Nicole: started in the avalanche industry over 20 years ago as a professional ski patroller at Blackcomb Mountain, and has worked as one of Blackcomb's Avalanche Forecasters since 2022. She holds a Master’s in Resource and Environmental Management with a planning endorsement from Simon Fraser University. As an avalanche professional, she has worked in various sectors, including mining, forestry, industry, and ski area management, and is passionate about educating the public about snow and avalanche safety, terrain access, and decision-making in the mountains. She is one of the co-chairs of ISSW 2026, occurring in Whistler from September 28 to October 2, 2026. She is also an active member of Whistler Search and Rescue.
Cam Campbell
Cam brings over 30 years of diverse experience in the avalanche industry, having worked as a ski patroller, highway technician, researcher, public avalanche forecaster, educator, and, most recently, as an engineering consultant. During his 15 years with Alpine Solutions, he has contributed to a wide range of projects, from ski lift design to studies on avalanche-induced impulse waves. Cam also played a key role in developing the Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale (ATES) and will be leading an ATES v.2 CPD session for the Canadian Avalanche Association on November 12.
Presentation
MANAGING CHANGING ALPINE TERRAIN: LESSONS FROM BLACKCOMB AND BEYOND
As alpine terrain evolves through glacial retreat, rockfall, and shifting snowpack patterns, long-established avalanche paths and operational strategies are being reshaped.
At Blackcomb Mountain, the recession of the Horstman and Blackcomb Glaciers has altered terrain access, control routes, and avalanche start zones, creating both new challenges and learning opportunities.
This presentation reviews the history of avalanche problems on Blackcomb and how management strategies have adapted to meet changing conditions. Collaborative work between Alpine Solutions and the Blackcomb avalanche team includes UAV-based mapping, terrain modelling, and field observation to support operational decision-making.
The case study highlights the application of emerging technologies and adaptive strategies for managing terrain change in complex mountain environments across western Canada.