The two years of the Avalanche Science Program gave me the opportunity to see the growth, change, and melt of two completely different snowpacks. 

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A highlight of the program was the sheer number of hours I got to spend in the snow, report on what I was seeing, and get feedback on my thoughts from the incredible faculty. 

 

I dug over 50 full profile snowpits during the course, and skills that were at first awkward and inconsistent became automatic and reliable. I was able to observe and identify snow grains of all types, and perform countless different instability tests.

 

As important, my understanding of the reasons why we look for certain grain types, or perform certain tests blossomed as well.  The strengths and weaknesses, and applicability of different techniques came to light.

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Looking at the snow over the course of time in many different locations allowed me to understand all the factors contributing to differences in the snowpack. Was what I was observing due to different weather? Or maybe because of geographical differences like aspect and elevation? How did snow in the same location change over time? What does this mean for stability? Is this what I expected to see? The freedom to ask these questions and deepen my understanding was one of the great aspects of this program. 

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