The AIARE Education Committee is made up of avalanche education professionals with diverse backgrounds from around North America.  The education committee meets yearly to discuss the issues facing avalanche education.  Drawing on expertise from the education committee, course curriculum is reviewed, updated and upgraded as new research and knowledge leads to new understanding.   Updated course materials are continually passed on to our course providers so you can be assured of getting the latest relevant information in your avalanche course.

Brian Lazar

Brian Lazar is co-owner and avalanche program director for Alpine World Ascents, and serves as Education Committee member and Research chair for AIARE.  He guides alpine climbs and backcountry skiing in South America, the continental U.S. and Alaska, Africa, and New Zealand.  Brian is an AIARE Level 1, 2, and 3 avalanche instructor and serves in as an instructor trainer.  He is a professional member of the American Avalanche Association and the American Mountain Guides Association and is backcountry observer with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.  He has achieved a Master's degree in civil engineering studying snow and ice mechanics in Alaska's Chugach Range, worked as a researcher with the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, and currently does consulting work as a snowpack modeler and hydrologist focusing on climate change issues.

Tom Carter

Tom Carter, a Sierra icon, has been involved with AIARE since the start.  Tom’s pragmatic/real life approach to avalanche education has been a driving force in our approach to avalanche education for the backcountry recreationist.  In addition to being a full time guide and avalanche forecaster at Ruby Mountain Heli-skiing, Carter is an American Avalanche Association Certified Avalanche Instructor and professional member, AMGA Certified Rock & Ski Mountaineering Guide and an AMGA Ski Mountain Instructor/Examiner.  Tom is also one of our instructor trainers in the Sierra region.

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson has been a member of AIARE since 2002, and serves on the Education Committee and the Ethics Committee. “AIARE has a core of individuals that keep me excited and energized, and I am honored to work with this committed group of avalanche professionals in the pursuit of furthering avalanche education in the United States.”
Other volunteer efforts include Co-Chair of the Education Committee for the American Avalanche Association, as well as a Board Member of the Friends of the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Alpine Safety Awareness Program, a nonprofit based out of Bellingham, Washington when he is not commercial fishing for salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska.  MJ is a professional member of the American Avalanche Association and a AAA Certified Avalanche Instructor.

Colin Zacharias

Colin Zacharias is a certified international mountain and ski guide (IFMGA) who guides in Canada, USA, New Zealand, Europe and other countries. He is an instructor on guide training programs for the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and the American Mountain Guides Association.  He is a course leader on Canadian Avalanche Association Level 2 Industry Training Programs and a Level 3 Course Leader for AIARE.  Colin has been in the avalanche industry since 1980 and has worked in avalanche control at ski areas and for British Colombia Highways on the Coast Range.  He was an avalanche forecaster for the 1988 Winter Olympics and has consulted for various projects and organizations including Heli-cat Canada, Ruby Mt. Heli-skiing.  Colin has assisted with curriculum development with the Canadian Avalanche Association and AIARE.  He is a former technical director for the ACMG and current member of the ACMG Technical Committee.  He is has been the technical director for AIARE since 2003 and is a professional member of the Canadian Avalanche Association.

Bela Vadasz  

Bela Vadasz is an internationally certified mountain guide (IFMGA) and established Alpine Skills International, an international guide service based out of Truckee, CA in 1979. Bela has been involved with AIARE since its inception. He has also worked closely with the AMGA in developing their guide’s certification program.  He is a professional member of the American Avalanche Association and is a trainer and examiner for the AMGA and a member of their Technical Committee.

Howie Schwartz

Howie Schwartz is a co-owner of Sierra Mountain Guides based out of June Lake, CA in the Eastern Sierra.  Howie has been involved with AIARE since its inception, is a Level 3 Course Leader and an AIARE instructor trainer.    He is a certified mountain guide (IFMGA) and a trainer/examiner with the AMGA. He also serves on the AMGA Technical Committee. When he’s not guiding he helps his wife Karen with their running store ‘Sage to Summit’ located in Bishop, CA.  Howie has presented at the International Snow and Science Workshop and is a professorial member of the American Avalanche Association.

Ben Pritchett

Ben Pritchett lives in Crested Butte, Colorado where he spends his summers guiding and chasing his wife Janae around on a mountain bike.  In the winter, he works for AIARE coordinating the level 3 program and ITC’s.  In addition, he is the education coordinator for the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.  His background includes several seasons forecasting for the Crested Butte Avalanche Center, numerous years ski guiding and teaching level 1, 2 and 3 avalanche courses, curriculum development and training avalanche instructors with AIARE, ski patrolling for Crested Butte Mountain Resort and 7 years working on the snow safety crew for the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse race. Ben holds an AMGA Ski Guide certification, a bachelor’s degree in Biology, current WFR status and owns his own guide service.  He is a professional member of the American Avalanche Association.

Bill Seline

Bill grew up skiing in the Sierra Nevada.  At 16 he joined the junior ski patrol.  Over the subsequent 25 years he has worked on and off for various ski patrols and has been an avid backcountry ski mountaineer.  His experience included ski patrol and risk management at Sierra Summit Ski Resort and ski patrol director at Donner Ski Ranch in California.  After graduation from Cal State University, Fresno with a Bachelor of Science, Bill worked for a couple of companies, one of which had over 25,000 employees, as VP of Training and Development.  He focused his energies on the creation, implementation and results measurement of training programs for front line service employees and managers.  Over the last 6 years Bill has been working as a mountain guide for Alpine Skills International in Truckee, CA teaching AIARE L1 and L2 classes, guiding and teaching all season mountain skills.  He is a PSIA L3 Telemark instructor, firefighter/paramedic, AMGA trained ski guide, CPR/First Aid instructor and LNT trainer.   He is a professional member of American Avalanche Association.  Bills passion is backcountry ski mountaineering throughout the different ranges in the US and Europe.  He lives in Truckee with his wife Wendy and 3-year-old son Matthew.