In the 1970s, there was no guidance for people heading outside of controlled ski areas. Rich Marriott and Mark Moore set out to change that.
SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. — This year, the Northwest Avalanche Center marks 50 years of backcountry avalanche forecasting. It’s a milestone that traces back to two curious graduate students and a mission to fill a dangerous information void in the mountains of the Northwest.
In the early 1970s, avalanche deaths in the western United States climbed sharply — rising from roughly seven per year to more than 20 as backcountry recreation surged. There was no guidance for people heading outside of controlled
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