Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center leaning In to education

Even as the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center (HPAC) continues to issue twice-weekly avalanche forecasts and regular observations for area backcountry users, officials there are tackling an expanded safety project: teen education.

“We’ve been going pretty strong, and growing and reaching out more, doing some high school education, and we’ve been in the schools doing that in the classroom,” said Andy Dennis, who chairs the center’s board. “Healthy activities for kids are being outside and doing recreation — so we want to make sure people are doing it safely.”

The Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center (HPAC) is an independent nonprofit that seeks to “provide avalanche information and advisories to assist and educate the general public in avoiding avalanches,” according to their mission statement. And while classroom education may be slightly outside their traditional activities, the expansion into that effort was sparked by need, he said.

“Just before COVID there was a fatality — a high school student at 16-mile,” he said. “And then COVID happened, and then everyone was out of school, and so there was explosive use of Hatcher Pass, and seeing a bunch of people up there hadn’t necessarily been up there before.”

That 17-year-old snowboarder died March 9, 2020 in an avalanche near the 16-mile run in Hatcher Pass. The avalanche was triggered into a terrain trap at 12:30 p.m., and emergency personnel responded to search for the missing snowboarder after 4 p.m., according to news reports at the time.

A report released by HPAC that day had warned of “considerable avalanche danger.” The snowboarder, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center.

Dennis said HPAC has received grants from the MatSu Health Foundation and MatSu Trails and Parks Foundation to help fund its education activities. He said the center hopes to eventually hire an executive director and an education coordinator, an addition to the other three paid staff members, who are all avalanche forecasters.

HPAC staff and volunteers are also making an extra effort to assist the motorized recreation community this season, doing outreach and avalanche education for them as well as avalanche forecasts focused on popular snowmachine trails in the pass.

“We’ve been getting on the machines a little bit more this season, and trying to talk to motorized users and get over on the motorized areas and take more pictures and observations over there,” he said.

The center also offers avalanche education course scholarships. Applications are available via their website.

Unlike avalanche centers in the lower-48, which typically receive funding from the U.S. Forest Service or their state government, HPAC is completely independent. That means its funding comes from grants from private organizations and local business or private donations. With its annual “Cabin Fever Reliever” fundraiser canceled this year thanks to ongoing COVID concerns, Dennis said they are looking to make up the potential funding shortfall.

HPAC operates under an annual budget of $80,000, which funds forecaster salaries, equipment and fuel and other operation costs. About 30% of that comes from private and business donations, he said. The

Donations can be made through the center’s website at hpavalanche.org.