ISSW 2026 – Risk Communication Workshop

Effectively communicating avalanche hazard in a way that supports the wide range of winter backcountry users remains a challenging but critical component of promoting public avalanche safety. The best avalanche forecast in the world is worth little is we are unable to communicate it in a way that allows users to integrate the information into their decision-making process.

The purpose of this workshop is to bring together bring together avalanche safety folks with risk communication experts from related field and think through some of the risk communication challenges in public avalanche safety. More specifically, the objectives of the workshop are:

• Develop a shared understanding of communication challenges in public avalanche safety
• Connect avalanche experts with relevant (risk) communication experts
• Introduce a structured approach for addressing avalanche risk communication challenges in a systematic way
• Start to apply the structured approach to real-world avalanche safety problem

Organizers

• Matthias Walcher (Tyrolean Avalanche Warning Service)
• Pascal Haegeli (Simon Fraser University, WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF)

Location and Time

• Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
• Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Location: Summit Room B, AAVA Hotel, 4005 Whistler Way
• Lunch: Sandwiches will be provided at the venue during the 1-hour lunch break
• To bring: Pen and paper

Contributors

• Johanna Wagstaffe (Canadian Broadcasting Cooperation)
• Ian Pike (The Community Against Preventable Injuries)
• Sarah Taylor (Avalanche Canada)
• Morgan Tinsdale and Jason Wishlow (State of the Snowpack)
• Eeva Latosuo (Simon Fraser University)
• Anne St. Clair

Course materials

• Will be posted shortly

Relevant SARP Publications

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