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About
Us
Alaska Avalanche School (AAS) workshops are staffed by top professionals.
Instructors for AAS are among the most experienced in the nation. All instructors
are Wilderness First Responder or greater (Medically) Certified. AAS boasts
three American Avalanche Association Certified Instructors. AAS instructors
keep current of new developments through International Snow Science Conferences,
teaching Nationally and Internationally, and engaging in research of their
own. All aspects of avalanche evaluation and mitigation are represented
within the AAS staff: Mountain Rescue, Industrial Forecasting, Mountain
Guiding, Heli-ski and Backcountry Ski Guiding. AAS commonly brings in nationally
recognized experts from inside and outside Alaska to teach at workshops.
The strength of the AAS staff makes an AAS education second
to none.
OUR INSTRUCTORS
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Nancy
Pfeiffer
Nancy has guided extensively in Alaska and many of the world’s
mountain ranges, including, New Zealand, Antarctica, and Patagonia.
She started skiing at 2 years old. Nancy took her first avalanche
course at 18, and she realized immediately that the study of snow
was something that could hold her interest for a very long time.
She has been teaching avalanche classes for 18 years.
Nancy recently presented at the ISSW
a
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nationwide
study on the effectivenessof
avalanche education. To
keep herself current, she attends the International Snow Science
Workshop regularly and is active in The American Avalanche Association
(AAA) as a Professional Member and Certified Avalanche Instructor.
Nancy stays in touch with the other programs by teaching at avalanche
schools and forecasting centers in the lower 48 and Chile. Nancy
has extensive experience with avalanches as a guide, instructor,
forecaster, and avid skier.
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Blaine
Smith
Blaine began his study of avalanches in 1985 and has worked for
the Alaska Avalanche school since 1991. He initially apprenticed
under Doug Fesler and Jill Fredston of the Alaska Mountain Safety
Center, and he has continued his ongoing avalanche training through
a variety of workshops and conferences, including the International
Snow Science Workshop. He is a professional member of the American
Avalanche Association (AAA) and AAA Certified Avalanche Instructor.
Blaine
has been published in Accidents in North American Mountaineering,
International Technical Rescue Symposium Proceedings, and
in Lessons
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Learned
II: Using Case Studies and History to Improve Safety Education.
In addition to his dynamic teaching style and avalanche expertise,
Blaine brings a long history of working, guiding, and teaching in
the outdoors. In 1987 he began his career as an outdoor educator
and guide and has since worked for the University of Alaska, Alaska
Pacific University, Alaska Denali Guiding, Alaska Mountain Safety
Center, and the Alaska Mountaineering School, among others. He has
guided several successful seasons on Denali with multiple summits.
When not teaching avalanche courses, Blaine can be found volunteering
with the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group as a avalanche specialist,
skiing in the backcountry, or mountain guiding.
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Jeremy
Allyn
Jeremy lives in Seattle, Washington and has been a regular guest instructor
for AAS for the last 3 years. He is a professional member of the American
Avalanche Association, former pro ski patroller at Crystal Mountain,
and a Level 1 and Level 2 certified instructor with the American Institute
for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) located in Gunnison,
Colorado. Jeremy is a climbing guide for
Seattle’s Mountain |
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Madness, where he also volunteers
through the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center. He has worked
as a senior guide for the American Alpine Institute, leading everything
from climbing expeditions to the Alaska Range and the Wrangell-St.
Elias, to technical rock routes in the North Cascades, Red Rocks
and the Bugaboos, to ski tours in the Canada’s Selkirk Mountains.
He was instrumental in developing AAI’s avalanche curriculum,
and continuing guide education. When not skiing or climbing, Jeremy
loves the “simple life”: a good book or movie, and coffee
or a beer.
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Eeva
Latosuo
Born and raised in Finland, I
have been on skis most of my life. The passion for snow and mountains
has landed me in many wonderful places in the world. First I moved
to Bellingham, WA, in 1994 and skied and climbed in the Cascades for
five years. I worked for National Outdoor Leadership School teaching
mountaineering and climbing in the summers. Next stop was Vail, CO,
where I worked as a professional ski patroller and EMT-Basic with
the the local ambulance service. For the last four years, I have called
Anchorage home, where I finally have a “real job” that
utilizes my graduate degree in Environmental Science, as a faculty
member at Alaska Pacific University.
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Teaching in the Outdoor Studies
Department keeps me outside as an outdoor educator. Courses like
Snow Science, Winter Wilderness Skills, and Backcountry Skiing allow
me to share my skills and knowledge about snow with students who
love (or learn to love) skiing as much as I do. I started teaching
avalanche curriculum with Alaska Avalanche School during the season
06-07, and I am looking forward to learning and teaching more with
the School in the years to come. One interesting fact about me is
that in my 10+ years of backcountry skiing, I have never been in
an avalanche, and I hope to keep it that way. My favorite thing
in the winter is to do a ski run in the mountains with my husband
Jaime and our border collie Tuuli, who loves to chase snowballs.
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| Kip
Melling Kip has lived in Alaska for 25 years. His knowledge
and experience are the result of many years of guiding and instruction.
Skiing Alaska’s backcountry, brought about a fascination and
a respect for snow. He has instructed for UAA, National Ski Patrol,
Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, and the Alaska Avalanche School, which
he has been a part of for the last 10 years. His passion for skiing,
and love for winters in Alaska, have anchored |
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him in the South Fork of Eagle River, where on a powder
day he can be found skiing terrain above his house.
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| Joe
Stock
Joe has been climbing and skiing for 20 years, mostly in North and
South America, Australia, and New Zealand. He recently made the
first ski traverses of the Chugach Mountains from Anchorage to Valdez
and Neacola Mountains. He has an undergraduate degree in geology
and geography from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and
a graduate degree from CSU in Fort Collins, Colorado. Joe became
a certified alpine guide in 2003 and is currently working on |
 Photo:
Andrew Wexler
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ski
mountaineering guide certification. In addition to guiding, Joe
works as a hydrologist, writer, and photographer. He lives in Anchorage
with his wife Cathy.
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Bill
Romberg
Bill has been highly involved in alpine climbing, mountaineering,
and skiing in Alaska since coming to Alaska in 1990. He has spent
several hundred days in the backcountry all over Alaska, including
the Brooks Range, the Alaska Range, and the local Talkeetna, Chugach,
Kenai, and Tordrillo ranges. He is a former president of the Mountaineering
Club of Alaska, and has 9 years of experience in technical rescue
and avalanche response with the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group (AMRG),
where he spends considerable time coordinating classroom and |
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events related to avalanche skills training and organized avalanche
accident response.
He is also a volunteer snow observer for the Chugach National Forest--recording
and reporting snowpack observations in the Kenai Mountains. Bill's
interest in snow and avalanche education is a direct result of increasing
exposure to avalanche terrain through personal climbing and avalanche
accident response with AMRG. When not working, volunteering with
AMRG, Bill can found outdoors with his family skiing, climbing,
hiking, or rafting.
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Rick
Rick first studied avalanches in 1985. For
the past twenty years he’s led expeditions for the National
Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), focusing on multi-week skiing
and mountaineering courses. With nearly 300 weeks in the field professionally,
he’s had the good fortune to lead expeditions in Alaska, ten
western states, the Himalayas, Chile, and Kenya. Personal expeditions
include Denali, Ama Dablam and Mt. Elbrus.
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true loves is explaining science to lay people. He has a civil engineering
degree from Princeton University where he focused on hydrology. He
also earned an M.S. in ecology from Colorado State University where
he focused on treeline, soils, and climate change. Rick is a professional
member of the American Avalanche Association. He frequently teaches
avalanche courses to NOLS instructors. As a student and teacher of
leadership, he is fascinated by the psychology of decision-making
in avalanche terrain. He’s been a guest instructor for the Alaska
Avalanche School since the winter of 05-06.
Rick is a regular attendee at the
International Snow Science Workshop where he recently presented
“Glacier Snow Bridge Mechanics.” Currently he is the
Assistant Director of NOLS—Alaska. Rick lives, works and plays
in Palmer with his wife, Shannon, and snow-loving dog, Tundra. |
SUPPORT & ASSISTANCE
The Alaska Avalanche School is grateful for support and assistance from
Anchorage Ski Club, Alaska State Parks; Alaska Mountaineering &, Hiking,
Alaska Pacific University, Alaska State Snowmobile Association, BAART,
Eagle River and Municipality of Anchorage Parks and recreation departments,
Hatcher Pass Lodge, Kenai Peninsula Borough, REI, U.S. Forest Service,
and University of Alaska-Anchorage, Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, Bear
Tooth Theater Pub, Team CC Skidoo, Backcountry Access and the Pumpkin
Hill Foundation.
SPECIAL NOTICE:
The Alaska Avalanche School has a scholarship fund created to provide
financial assistance to experienced Alaskan travelers who might otherwise
find it difficult to participate in field backcountry avalanche hazard
evaluation workshops. If you would like to apply for a scholarship please
e-mail us for more information by Nov. 15. If you would like to make a
contribution to this fund please contact us.
The Alaska Avalanche School just completed a nationwide
study on the effects of avalanche education. Please email us for a copy
of this paper.
For Federal Employees wishing to contribute to
the Alaska Avalanche School, our Combined Federal Campaign donation number
is 13688.
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