An Avalanche Changed His Life and His Job
Avalanche forecaster Chris Dickson stands next to a person wearing an orange winter jacket and winter gear. Dickson is a white man with blond hair. He is wearing a gray winter jacket and sunglasses. His hands are raised as he talks to someone behind the camera.
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An avalanche can change a person’s life in seconds. On May 19, 2017, Chris Dickson was skiing in the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado. He wanted to test fresh snow that had fallen after recent storms. But the snow was not stable. Dickson was caught in an avalanche and partly buried. He broke free with a crunching motion. The event scared him. It also showed him how dangerous avalanches can be.
That close call changed Dickson’s plans. He had moved to Colorado to study environmental science. After the avalanche, he wanted to help others stay safe. He became an avalanche educator. He taught people how to travel safely in winter backcountry. He also wanted to learn more about the science of snow. “I wanted to spend more time digging into the snow and analyzing it,” he says.
From Survivor to Educator
Dickson works as an avalanche forecaster for the Colorado Avalanche Information Center in Denver. He makes daily forecasts. These forecasts tell the public about snow risk before people go out. “I’m incredibly lucky that I survived,” he says. “I took that lesson as a real learning opportunity.”
A common idea about his job is that it is mostly computers. Computers do help predict conditions in hard-to-reach places. They also help share danger information with the public. But Dickson also checks weather stations for wind and precipitation. He reads reports from the public too. He spends more time at a computer than in the mountains, but he likes both. “It’s much nicer to be in the mountains than at the computer,” he says.
A field day starts with a plan based on computer data. He maps a route through the mountains. A coworker checks the plan with him. They talk about the day’s goal, where they will go, and how they will manage risk. Then they head out. They spend four to eight hours collecting data. Dickson looks for recent avalanches and studies the land. He may dig a snow pit to study layers in the snow. He also does stability tests by tapping on the snowpack. The data help create a forecast the public can read that evening.
A Memorable Investigation
Dickson’s most memorable work often involves studying avalanches that already happened. He investigates events that involve people, especially if someone is hurt, buried, or killed. One winter, a friend was caught in a large avalanche outside a ski area. The friend was carried over cliffs and had a dangerous ride. The friend survived. Dickson wanted to understand why it happened.
After studying that avalanche, Dickson said his friend could have avoided triggering it by skiing about 30 feet (9 meters) to either side. It was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those days are memorable because they help people learn.
Advice for the Future
If Dickson could talk to his younger self, he would say, “Do the work you want to be paid for eventually.” He started a podcast called the San Juan Stormcast. It shared avalanche information in a more engaging way. The work did not pay him, but it gave him skills and exposure. That helped him get his current job. He encourages others to build resources that no one else has made.
The avalanche that almost took his life led him to a career that saves lives. By combining field work, computer modeling, and public education, Dickson helps people make safer choices in the mountains. His story shows that one event can change a life. It also shows how science and communication can protect many people.