Analyzing avalanches

Not many folks know what the cryosphere is, but Erich Peitzsch does, because he lives and works with it all the time.

It is “the realm of snow and ice that encompasses the frozen world,” said Peitzsch, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist who is also the interim director of the Flathead Avalanche Center.

Not a very typical line of work, but it’s one that captured Peitzsch’s attention back when he was a ski patroller at the Alpine Meadows Ski Area in Lake Tahoe, Calif.

“I patrolled in Lake Tahoe for four years. That’s kind of where my interest was piqued,” said the 35-year-old. “Alpine Meadows has a pretty storied patrol with a great avalanche program. It was an amazing classroom.”

Peitzsch loved patrolling and avalanche control work but found that he was also interested in the science behind avalanches. He enrolled in the Earth Sciences program at Montana State University to study snow science, and was hired by the USGS as a seasonal avalanche forecaster in Glacier National Park in 2007.

That work involves surveying conditions above Going-to-the-Sun Road while park crews plow the road in the spring. 

“We basically forecast for natural avalanches along the road. The primary audience is Glacier Park personnel. We work closely with the road crew. We brief them every morning and we are in constant contact with them throughout the day, especially if conditions are changing rapidly,” Peitzsch said.

He continued his education at MSU and graduated with a master’s degree in snow science in 2009. Soon after, his scope work in Glacier National Park was expanded.

“That job fortunately turned into a full-time job,” said Peitzsch, who went on to do research on the historical nature of avalanches in the park, in terms of frequency and magnitude, and he got involved with a program that monitors changes in the park’s glaciers. He continues to do avalanche forecasting, work that requires some rigorous climbing to reach avalanche start zones that can be as high as 3,000 vertical feet above Sun Road.

Peitzsch estimates that he and his co-workers climb 10,000 to 15,000 vertical feet on any given week during the spring.

“We put skins on our skis and climb up there,” he said, noting that safe and efficient routes have been established.

Peitzsch recently was appointed interim director of the Flathead Avalanche Center, formerly known as the Glacier Avalanche Center. Primarily sponsored by the Flathead National Forest, the center provides online forecasts, incident reports and educational programs. 

“A huge part of the director’s position is working with collaborators,” Peitzsch said, referring to organizations such as Big Mountain Ski Patrol Inc., Flathead Nordic Backcountry Patrol and the BNSF avalanche safety program.

The center also works with backcountry recreationists to collect reports on observed snow conditions. The center conducted a field day recently “to get people lined out on the information we’re interested in receiving,” he said. “We’re always interested in hearing what people are seeing when they are out recreating.”

Peitzsch is big on winter recreation himself. 

“Obviously, skiing is a passion, and snowmobiling is becoming more of a passion,” said Peitzsch, who has two young sons with his wife, Laura Fay.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at jmann@dailyinterlake.com.