News

Become a Member in December!

The avalanche forecast is free to the public—and always will be.

But that doesn’t mean it’s free to produce. In fact, forecasts cost about $450 a day to produce. With around 160 forecasts in a typical season, that adds up to more than $70,000 every winter.

The Friends of the Chugach Avalanche Center is the Forest Service’s non-profit cost-share partner. So while the Forest Service pays a lot of the avalanche center’s operating costs, the Friends group on the hook for many of the important avalanche center functions the public relies on, including:

• Critical technology updates and maintenance at weather stations in the forecast zone. Weather stations cost around $1,500 per station per season to maintain!
• Continuing to fund the avalanche specialist position for the heavily-used Front Range of Chugach State Park.
• Equipment our forecasters need to do their jobs, like snowmachines to access terrain, as well as lithium batteries and weatherproofing to keep our weather stations operational.
• Advancing avalanche science and public messaging techniques by supporting forecaster research projects and international collaboration.
• Improved public safety for everyone who uses the winter backcountry in Southcentral Alaska!

Fortunately, the Southcentral Alaska snow community is an incredible one. We ned your help to reach our fundraising goal by December 31. Will you help us get there by becoming a member in December?

Join or Renew!

Thanks for your support!
—The Friends of the Chugach Avalanche Center

P.S. All current members—regardless of whether you donated in December or earlier in the year—will be entered to win prizes from Friends partners and sponsors, like a Seward Sauna session or a Voile splitboard.