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The Utah Avalanche Center Is Hiring—Dream Job Opportunity for Skiers
Photo: Alex Ratson/Getty Images

Ever wanted to help skiers stay safe in the backcountry? Now’s your chance. The Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) is hiring one or two seasonal meteorological technicians/avalanche forecasters.

Applications for the role can be submitted here between July 1 and July 14, 2025. Candidates are also strongly encouraged to contact Paige Pagnucco, the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center director, at paige@utahavalanchecenter.org

According to the UAC, new hires will “contribute directly to public safety in some of the most iconic and avalanche-prone mountain terrain in the U.S., while combining your passion for snow science, backcountry travel, and community service.”

The expected start date for the position is between October 19, 2025, and December 28, 2025.

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Established in 1980 in collaboration with the US Forest Service (USFS), the UAC is one of the nation’s best-known avalanche centers.

It interfaces with a massive audience of backcountry skiers each season and provides avalanche forecasts for eight geographic areas across Utah, spanning from Logan to Moab. That involves a lot of work.

During the 2024-2025 season, the UAC’s forecasters logged 625 field days.

For skiers, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more rewarding task, though. In Utah and elsewhere, avalanche centers are a key pillar of the backcountry ski community. They distill complicated information about the ever-changing snowpack and in the process, make recreating during the winter safer and more accessible.

Beyond forecasting, the UAC offers around 50 avalanche safety courses each season to both non-motorized and motorized backcountry travelers, serving more than 1,000 students. These courses cover the wintertime backcountry fundamentals, like how to read an avalanche forecast or how to rescue someone who’s been buried in the snow.

The UAC also hosts avalanche awareness programs, talks, and events, including Know Before You Go (KBYG), which first launched in 2005 to help school-aged children better understand avalanche danger.

Since then, KBYG has evolved, becoming a collaborative effort across multiple avalanche centers. It includes an introductory online avalanche awareness course on its website.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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