Salt Lake City, Utah — One of the most prominent avalanche forecasting centers in the United States has found a new executive director.
Earlier this month, the Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) officially announced that they have appointed Caroline Miller as their new executive director. Caroline has an extensive experience in a variety of mountain communities. From Estes Park, Colorado, she spent many years exploring and skiing in Rocky Mountain National Park. She got her bachelor’s at Montana State University and her master’s at the University of Utah. She has lots of experience with non-profits, avalanche mitigation, and backcountry skiing. Her experience includes being a risk manager and a director of mountain operations at Kirkwood Mountain Resort, a consultant for the Sierra Avalanche Center, and assisting with building a backcountry hut system in Sierras.
Caroline is replacing Chad Brackelsberg, who will continue to teach avalanche classes and develop a new website for the UAC, among other projects.
This isn’t the only leadership change at the Utah Avalanche Center. On May 5th, Paige Pagnucco replaced Mark Staples as the new director of the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center, a separate branch from the non-profit UAC. Originally from New England, Paige was a professional ski patroller at Park City Mountain Resort for many years. In 2004, she joined the Utah Avalanche Center as an avalanche education and outreach coordinator for the Logan area.
If you’re wondering more about the differences between the Utah Avalanche Center and the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center, there are a few. The Federal Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center has federal employees who issue avalanche forecasts. They work with the non-profit Utah Avalanche Center, which focuses on educational programs and fundraisers. The UAC contributes 1/3 of the forecasting program budget each year.
Here’s an official description from the Utah Avalanche Center’s website:
“The UAC was officially established in 1980 in collaboration with the US Forest Service (USFS). The nonprofit Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center was formed in 1990 to help bridge the gap between the available funding and actual expenses of operating an avalanche center alongside growing user demand and increasing need for education and awareness. This development protected the UAC from year-to-year fluctuations in USFS funding. Today, the nonprofit UAC is responsible for the majority of avalanche awareness and education in Utah, as well as funding and strategic management of the partnership with the USFS.”
These new hirings follow a busy season for the Utah Avalanche Center. The Center’s annual report, released on June 24th, revealed that the state had 902 reported avalanches, two fatalities from slides, and 1890 field observations. Click here to read the Utah Avalanche Center’s annual report for the 2023-24 season.
Image Credits: Utah Avalanche Center
