World's Largest Conference on Snow & Avalanches
Every two years around 1,000 of the world’s top snow and avalanche researchers and practitioners gather together to exchange ideas and experiences. It’s a gathering of a tribe of people who spend much of their professional and personal lives thinking about snow and avalanches. It’s a great tribe.
The International Snow Science Workshop, commonly called ISSW, is being held this week (Oct. 8-13, 2023) in Bend, Oregon.
The conference co-chairs, Kevin Grove & Zoë Roy, describe this years’ ISSW in the welcome letter to program attendees:
The thematic focus lies on current advances in snow and avalanche science, case studies and innovative technologies on an international level, merging theory and practice. Unlike any other symposium, the ISSW promotes an international and interdisciplinary exchange between experts in the snow and avalanche community. Different presentation formats like oral and poster presentations, panel discussions, as well as the integration of an international exhibition, allow direct interaction amongst the broad target audience.
The conference this year is organized around twelve themes:
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Avalanche Education
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Avalanche Forecasting
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Avalanche Formation, Failure, and Dynamics
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Avalanche Incidents and Case Studies
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Avalanche Operations and Program Management
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Avalanche Rescue and Operational Stress Management
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Climate Change, Snow Hydrology, and Sustainability
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Decision-Making
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Instrumentation and Remote Sensing
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Planning and Engineering
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Risk Communication
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Snow and Snowpack Properties
I'm attending ISSW this week to meet up with other members of the snow and avalanche tribe and to learn from scientists and practitioners from around the world. This year’s conference consists of 80 oral and 195 poster presentations, representing 275 contributions from 16 different countries. For more information on this year’s ISSW and to learn about past gatherings, go to https://www.issw2023.com/.
Next Wednesday on Backcountry Skiing Canada I will share a recap of ISSW 2023, including a review of major themes and the research discussions that emerged at this year's conference.
Jerry Isaak is an Associate Teaching Professor and the program lead for ski touring in the Adventure Studies Department at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia. He is an AMGA certified Ski Guide and has guided backcountry ski adventures in Iceland, Kyrgyzstan, Japan, and throughout the United States and western Canada.