Dave Kelly on the Nuances of Public Forecasting

About this episode

Dave Kelly discusses his transition from operational forecasting to public forecasting and the complexities of snow science.

Dave Kelly's career on snow has included stints forecasting for a remote narrow-gauge, trans-national railroad on behalf of the Alaska DOT. He's also put in time at Turoa, one of the largest ski areas in New Zealand. And for 16 years, he worked as a ski patroller at Alta. He joined the Utah Avalanche Center in the 2022-23 season as a forecaster for the Salt Lake area. And he says it was the challenge of forecasting for bigger terrain that drew him to his new gig. Kelly joins us to talk about making the transition from an operational forecaster to a public one. And we also try to wrap our heads around the mysteries of radiation recrystallization.

People in this episode

Guest: Dave Kelly

Topics covered

• public forecasting
• avalanche safety
• ski patrolling
• snow science
• radiation recrystallization

Keywords

• forecasting
• avalanche
• skiing
• snow
• radiation recrystallization
• public safety
• Alta
• Turoa

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Utah Avalanche Center

Books & works: Turoa

Places: Alaska, New Zealand, Salt Lake, Alta

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