What’s New with IPAC – October 11, 2024
You may not know it, but the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center (IPAC) has been providing avalanche safety information for North Idaho since the mid-1980s. US Forest Service (USFS) hydrologists, Al Isaacson and Bob “Bones” Kasun, started alerting the public about periods of high avalanche danger in news releases. By the early 2000s, IPAC began teaching snowmobile avalanche awareness classes and expanded forecasting in the region. In 2012, the Friends of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center (FIPAC) formed with a grassroots mission to support avalanche forecasting, and provide avalanche awareness to North Idaho, eastern Washington, and western Montana. Since then, IPAC has operated as a collaborative effort between the USFS, FIPAC, and State of Idaho partnerships. FIPAC continues supporting their mission and has built a strong, supportive Board of Directors.
Like an avalanche running down the mountain, the IPAC has continued to grow for over 30 years. Transitioning the program from one forecast per week to two, and creating a culture centered around training and teaching, IPAC has operated as a “by-committee” effort – desperately lacking a full-time director. In the fall of 2023, the USFS advertised for the first full-time permanent Avalanche Center Director position for the IPAC. After a hiring process that lasted many long months the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center (IPAC), USFS, and the Friends of the IPAC are thrilled to announce Chris Bilbrey as the new Director of the avalanche center! Chris brings extensive avalanche-related experiences and reinforcement to our forecasting program.
Chris moved from Durango, Colorado where he worked as a forecaster with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) in the San Juan Mountains. Chris has said numerous times, “the verdict is still out whether trading depth hoar for rain crusts is an even swap, but I’ve done my fair share of tiptoeing through the mountains to avoid the unexpected, so I’m up for anything”! He’s excited to explore new mountains and learn their unique avalanche character, and his family already discovered huckleberries. Chris is eager to implement upgrades to the program through professional guidelines and new approaches to forecasting based on industry standards and experiences from several avalanche centers. He understands cooperative relationships are pivotal to building a sustainable forecast program.
Filling this critical director position full-time will help us take positive steps to address rapid growth in winter backcountry recreation by providing timely avalanche forecasts and increasing public education opportunities. Telling the complex, snowpack story through a simple, concise message to varying audiences is an avalanche forecasters biggest challenge. Chris says, “It takes a village to raise a family, and we need public observation engagement to help fit the puzzle pieces together and make our forecast products better”. We are excited to welcome Chris and his entire family to the Inland Northwest avalanche team!
IPAC Community:
The Friends of IPAC 2023/24 annual report is available here. Thank you for all the support!
Check our Weather Stations page to view remote weather station data year-round.
Our Weather Tools page provides links to help you dial in your mountain weather forecast, winter and summer.