Utah Avalanche forecaster Craig Gordon has worked in snow science and safety for four decades.Gordon began as a ski patroller at Brighton Resort in 1985, when he had the space to realize his love of snow and powder skiing. But it wasn’t until Gordon sat down for an avalanche forecasting and snow d ynamics class at the University of Utah taught by the forecaster for the Utah Department of Transportation, Peter Lev, that his life changed its course and led him in the direction of avalanche forecasting. “I knew within the first three minutes of being in this class that there was a bigger world I wanted to pursue. Peter’s class really changed my life,” said Gordon. Despite the difficulties Gordon had often felt in the world of formal education, the course offered him a glimpse at a future of community and snow safety. And while powder days may have been his introduction to snow safety, it’s being able to help his community and the family of backcountry adventurers around the world that has maintained his fervor for the world of avalanche forecasting.“The best day for me is giving back to my community. I can always have a great powder day, that’s easy, but knowing I make an impact on my backcountry family and that our messaging is resonating and people are not only making smart decisions but they’re also out enjoying this amazing snow we have, these remarkable mountains we have and, most importantly, high-fiving their friends and getting home to their families,” he said. In his 25th year of forecasting with the Utah Avalanche Center, Gordon credits his mastery of the craft to his forefathers in the snow safety and forecasting community. While Gordon himself has decades of boots-on-the-ground experience, his knowledge is the coalescence of generations of work and understanding. “I’m an extension of an earlier generation. I’m standing on their shoulders and recognize the deep roots that are embedded here in Utah as the birthplace of modern snow science, modern avalanche mitigation and reduction,” said Gordon. Craig Gordon is the forecaster for the western Uintas region at the Utah Avalanche Center. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Utah Avalanche Center“I take what several generations of mentors and women and men who were here before me and not reinvent anything, but be able to take their information and weave my own take, my intuition and my gut feeling into it and hopefully resonate with messaging that is solid to my backcountry family,” he said.For Gordon, this work is no burden. It is a blessing, an opportunity and an honor. As one of many forecasters involved with the Utah Avalanche Center keeping backcountry-ers safe across the state, Gordon is the forecaster for the western Uintas region. He developed the Know Before You Go program in 2004, which has influenced hundreds of thousands of young people and their backcountry decision-making in the years since. “This is so real and sincere to me. It runs so deep in my veins, it’s not a burden or a heavy lift. I just feel tremendous gratitude,” said Gordon. Gordon is hosting this month’s State of the Snowpack presentation at Park City Brewing on Wednesday at 6 p.m., at which he will bring attendees up to date with avalanche events and snowpack conditions. “It’s guaranteed to be educational, and in some circles, I hear they’re even pretty entertaining,” joked Gordon. “I want to take a deep dive into how we make decisions, particularly in years like this where we have problematic weak layers.”This season has been tumultuous with avalanche danger ratings and an unpredictable snowpack. As spring continues, the season’s persistent weak layer has become largely dormant. Gordon said that could simplify avalanche problems. “It’s spring, and the good news is that we can focus on things that are not a big mystery. Our main concerns are going to be the rapid warming and some record temperatures are going to bring wet avalanches into the focus,” said Gordon. “When it starts storming again, we’re going to start to see new snow storms, snow avalanches, and these kinds of things are predictable.” “We’ll never outguess how snow works, and especially in a mountain environment, but what we can do is we can adjust the way we travel and our travel habits and and start to understand how we match our terrain and our decision-making with the avalanche dragon that we’re dealing with,” he said.The Utah Avalanche Center hosts the State of the Snowpack presentations each month to remind and inform people of the recent circumstances that are changing the snowpack. Park City Brewing will donate a portion of the sales on Wednesday evening to the center. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Utah Avalanche CenterGordon’s presentation walks down the line of the last months of snowfall, accidents and need-to-knows, with the added benefit of gathering the backcountry family together over Park City Brewing’s special Powder Buoy pilsner. People can sign up for the State of the Snowpack for free online, and to support the Utah Avalanche Center’s spring campaign to fund a forecaster at UtahAvalancheCenter.org.The post Utah Avalanche Center forecaster Craig Gordon keeps community in the know appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less