Schedule

Sunday, October 4

All times MDT (UTC – 6)

08:00

Posters available to view by registrants

10:00

Welcome Tech & Social
Join us to learn what to expect during this first-ever virtual snow science workshop. In preparation for a smooth online experience, there will be a full introduction to the technology we’ll be using.

11:30

Virtual Snow Science Workshop 2020 is officially open!

Monday, October 5

All times MDT (UTC – 6)

07:45

Introduction to VSSW Day 1

Oral Session 1 – “Decision Making and Terrain”
Session Chair: Robin Siggers

08:00

Andrea Mannberg
What’s economics got to do with it? A behavioral economist’s view on risk-taking behavior in avalanche terrain

08:30

Laura Maguire
Controlling the cognitive costs of coordination in distributed work teams: in other words, why ‘communication’ is a hard problem for mountain safety

09:00

Jordy Hendrikx
Observed terrain use as a lens for understanding decision making

09:30

Kyle Hamilton, Alex Hanson
Using immersive experiences for training of hazard identification

10:00

Break

10:30

Panel Discussion #1
Next Level Professionalism: Integrating Professional Snowmobilers with Established Snow and Avalanche Communities

12:00

Break

Oral Session 2 – “Education and Engineering”
Session Chair: Mark Vesely

12:30

Susanne Whalen
Autonomous multi-station avalanche detection system based on long-range radar technology for road safety at Bear Pass, BC

13:00

Jerry Johnson
Rethinking the Heuristic Traps Paradigm in Avalanche Education

13:30 

Liz Riggs Meder
Lifelong learning in avalanche terrain: The AIARE Risk Management Framework as a model for avalanche education

14:00

Intro to Interactive Poster Session

14:05 – 15:30

Interactive Poster Sessions

Tuesday, October 6

All times MDT (UTC – 6)

06:15

Intro to Interactive Poster Session

06:20 – 07:45

Interactive Poster Sessions

07:45

Introduction to VSSW Day 2

Oral Session 3 – “Rescue and Risk Communication”
Session Chair: Jennifer Coulter

08:00

Grant Statham
The Howse Peak search and recovery operation

08:30

Pascal Haegeli
How to make avalanche bulletins more effective? Lessons from studying user practices

09:00

Devon O’Neil
Chronicling an avalanche rescue at the height of the pandemic

09:30

Bruce Jamieson, Scott Thumlert
Communicating likelihood and probabilities

10:00

Break

10:30

Panel Discussion #2
Finding Gold Dust: Mentorship in the Avalanche Industry

12:00

Break

Oral Session 4 – “Snow Properties and Changing Environments”
Session Chair: Bruce Jamieson

12:30

Jan-Thomas Fischer
Flow regime transitions and thermal equilibrium in avalanches

13:00

Ben Yeager, Amanda Goodhue
Red Chair Drift: A unique challenge in avalanche forecasting

13:30

Ben Reuter, Sascha Bellaire
The influence of climate change on avalanches – a potential view into the future

14:00

Closing Remarks