PODCAST

The Avalanche Hour Podcast

The Avalanche Hour

Podcast by Caleb Merrill

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All Episodes

00:53:51

Looking Back and How to Look Forward with Dan Abrams

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2026/02/19

Caleb Merrill is back to interview Dan Abrams for a reflective conversation on a tragic avalanche accident. Tune in for a conversation that stems from the soul…. soul skiing that is, and the endless search for those perfect powder turns that brings our small community of soul skiers & riders together. Dan and Caleb center the conversation’s focus on recounting the Tunnel Creek avalanche accident that Dan was involved with back in 2012. This accident was followed by significant media coverage and

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01:11:17

Leadership and Culture in the Avalanche Industry

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2026/02/15

Our next episode is out! Joe Stock sits down with Mik Dalpes for a conversation centered around leadership and culture in the avalanche industry. Mik grew up in Minnesota where she formed a passion for skiing. Her career includes spending time as a ski patroller, Outward Bound Instructor, Park Ranger, avalanche educator, and Avalanche Forecaster for the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center. Mik had 2 children along the way and has become very interested in what types of leaders and cultures make

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01:33:13

Hot Takes and Friendtorship with Moxie Mountain Guides

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2026/02/07

Be More Selective, Not More Careful: Hot Takes from the Avalanche Industry Interview Highlights:- A terrain-first avalanche education reset: clear language, fewer false certainties, better decision framing.- Real-world mentorship you can actually build: “friendtorship” structures, debrief prompts, and partner feedback that scales from rec to pro.- Inclusion that’s operational, not performative: how All In Ice Fest trains guides and changes who feels welcome (and safer) in mountain spaces.Jason Antin

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01:13:23

The Art of the Debrief: How to Add Expertise to Our...

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2026/02/01

Interview Highlights: - Coming home each day is always the goal, and debriefing seems to be a helpful tool in adding expertise to our experience. - Debriefing can look many different ways. It can happen in real time during an outing, known as a rolling debrief, or it can happen at the end of the day, and even at a later time. - Ian and Sara posit that our debriefing skills are in need of attention, and that different personal and environmental factors impact how well we perform this critical task.-

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01:16:40

Slabs 'n Sluffs - January in Review

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2026/01/28

Join us for our fourth installment of Slabs ‘n Sluff with Sara Boilen and guest co-host, Sean Zimmerman-Wall! Sara and Sean review January and take a look at what is coming up for February in the Avalanche Hour Podcast. We also hear an update from Dom. Sara Boilen holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Denver (2011). Professionally, she works with individuals who have had interactions with the justice system often in the spirit of helping to make sense of behavior and

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01:17:14

Avalanche Science Beyond the Snowpack: An Interview...

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2026/01/22

Pascal Haegeli’s career path is anything but conventional. After completing his Master’s degree in Switzerland, he moved to Canada in the mid-1990s – where he found the opportunity of a lifetime. There he built an academic career and became a very influential researcher in avalanche risk management, shaping safety practices across North America and beyond.Today, Pascal is an Associate Professor and Director of the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University in

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01:24:10

Joe Stock x Luc Mehl

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2026/01/15

Joe Stock and Luc Mehl have been on many adventures together. Join them for a great conversation about risk management in wild places. In Joe's words: Luc Mehl is one of Alaska’s foremost adventurers, filling the gap between Roman Dial and Dick Griffith. He’s been at the forefront of ski traversing, packrafting, wild ice skating and now wilderness risk management. Luc grew up in rural Alaska and has traveled over 10,000 miles of the state by foot, ski, pedal, paddle, and ice skate. Luc's

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01:01:27

Science is what we do to keep from lying to...

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2026/01/01

“Science is What We Do to Keep from Lying to Ourselves” ~ Richard Feynman. In this conversation, Bruce Jamieson is back to interview Dr. Karl Birkeland and Joe Stock for a deep dive into snow science. Jamieson brings us with him on a snow science journey alongside two of the industry’s top authors and experts on snow avalanches. Their conversations comment on the importance of the science side of the industry as “understanding how things work allows us to anticipate conditions that are outside of

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01:02:38

State of The Snowpack: Bridging The Knowledge Gap...

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2025/12/24

Morgan Dinsdale is a professional ski guide, writer, holistic nutritionist and the Founder and Executive Director of the State of the Snowpack, a public safety non-profit dedicated to connecting avalanche professionals with their local communities across the mountain communities of Canada.A Canadian Ski Guide Association (CSGA) Level 2 Ski Guide and the first Level 2 ever elected to the CSGA Board of Directors, Morgan spends her winters guiding for Whistler Heli-Skiing and Selkirk Snowcat Skiing

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01:08:17

Snow, Science, and Surprises with Jürg Schweizer

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2025/12/15

In this episode, Matthias Walcher sits down with Jürg Schweizer for a deep dive on a career focused on snow science. Jürg Schweizer studied environmental physics at ETH Zurich and joined SLF, at that time still up on the Weissfluhjoch, after completing his PhD. He spent a formative year conducting research at Rogers Pass in Canada. He rose from researcher to head of the world’s most renowned institute in the field, leading pioneering work that shaped modern avalanche science. Along the way, he

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01:30:30

Remembering Judson Wright - The Joy of Second Hand Stoke

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2025/12/09

In memory of Judson Wright, this is a special re-airing of a Season 6 interview with him. Judson was a father and a husband first, and the founder and lead guide of Kootenay Backcountry Guides. He was the co-founder of State of the Snowpack, and lead guide of White Grizzly Snowcat Skiing. He was also the most enthusiastic crossing guard you ever met. Judson guided with the principle that if you are doing it for yourself then you are no longer guiding. He loved to share the joy of powder skiing

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01:00:42

After the Slide: Life, Loss, and Living in the Mountains

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2025/12/01

This panel discussion was part of the Bend Snow & Avalanche Workshop (BendSAW), hosted by the Central Oregon Avalanche Center and originally recorded on November 8th, 2025. The panel brought together Margaret Wheeler, Liz King, Jason Boone and Kevin Grove, moderated by Sara Boilen. Dr. Sara Boilen is a psychologist based in Northwest Montana and a familiar voice from Slabs and Sluffs. In this episode, she shares the BendSAW panel on grief and loss in the mountain community that she facilitated

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01:16:46

Slabs 'n Sluff - November in Review: Building Community

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2025/11/29

Episode Highlights:- A wide ranging conversation touching on community, connection, loss, grief and decision making.- Field updates from Snow and Avalanche Workshops from Utah ProSAW, South Central AK SAW and Bend SAW- Highlights from episodes from November and upcoming episodes in December- Current community events- No more AI art! This is a sneak preview of our new Season 10 artwork - stay tuned for an exciting announcement! In the third installment of our monthly Slabs ‘n Sluff series, hosts Sara

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01:29:51

Jake Hutchinson x Rescue Roundup

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2025/11/21

Do all heroes really wear capes? No, and the professionals who specialize in avalanche rescue never would - although they often wear red...sans tights - but they deserve a heartfelt thank you. This episode is a special opportunity to hear directly from those who show up when we need them most. We hope to never have to call them, but should listen closely to what they have to share with us. In this episode, Michael Ackerman, Dave Richards, Chrissie Oken, John Reller, and Jeremy Jolley bring you the

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01:01:41

Wendy’s Wisdom: A Tribute to Wendy Wagner

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2025/11/16

In loving memory of a legend from our community, we dedicate this episode to you, Wendy. From Wendy's family: '“I don’t get tired, I go hard!” Are the words six year old Wendy said to her uncle when on a hike. That was the way Wendy lived her life and achieved her dreams. The rest of us felt so lucky to scramble, climb, pedal, ski, or snow machine behind her, trying to keep up on another Wendy adventure.Wendy was born on October 31, 1973 in Salt Lake City, Utah and she touched the sky on

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01:06:57

Industry Update with the American Avalanche...

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2025/11/07

Our November episode special is out now! Caleb Merrill sits down with Jayne Thompson Nolan with the American Avalanche Association (‘The A3’) and Dom Baker is back to chat with Joe Obad from the Canadian Avalanche Association (‘CAA’)Our avalanche associations are the web that holds us all together. If you are a current or aspiring professional, or a member of the avalanche community, please consider supporting with a donation or becoming a member at:A3 Membership:

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01:14:38

Kim Vinet x Johanna Wagstaffe - From Jet Streams to...

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2025/11/01

In Episode 10.4, Kim Vinet sits down with Johanna Wagstaffe for a conversation about the weather! Tune in for a great episode as two friends get together to talk about weather forecasting and assessing risk in the mountains. Kim and Johanna attended university together and studied earth and atmospheric sciences. Johanna went on to work for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) as an on-air weather personality. Johanna is an expert science communicator and gives tips on using storytelling to

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00:52:28

Slabs 'n Sluff - October in Review: Getting Ready for...

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2025/10/29

In the second installment of our monthly Slabs & Sluff series, hosts Sara Boilen and Dom Baker dig into some particularly striking nuggets from this past month’s episodes and look forward to the season ahead. Slabs and Sluffs is a monthly round up of all things related to The Avalanche Hour podcast and our community more broadly. October is the month of getting ready for the winter season. Join Sara and Dom as they dig into some of the gems from October’s episodes and talk about getting mind

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01:07:57

Jake Hutchinson x Tom Kimbrough - Conversations with...

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2025/10/23

In Episode 10.3, Jake Hutchinson sits down with Tom Kimbrough to bring us our first Bio of a Legend this season. Roshi is the Japanese word for “zen master” or “old master.” For a generation or two of Wasatch avalanche hunters, Tom is both the old master and the zen master. His holistic approach to assessing risk in snow covered mountains is a culmination of a life as a curious avalanche hunter, public forecaster, climbing ranger and avalanche educator.Tom’s career spans work on the Alpine Meadows

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00:57:50

Dr. Bruce Jamieson x Dr. Scott Thumlert: Merging...

The Avalanche Hour Podcast ·

2025/10/15

Bruce Jamieson’s interview with Scott Thumlert revolves around Scott’s career in avalanche research, guiding, as well as planning and engineering. Scott recounts anecdotes during his graduate studies of the stress in the snowpack under skiers and snowmobiles, and implications for tests like the extended column test. He discusses a more recent interest in improving the communication of avalanche likelihood and identifies some challenges in developing a new rating system. One of the challenges is

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