About Us

Aaron Hartz lives in Bend, Oregon, where he works as a ski guide, climbing guide, snowpack observer, and avalanche forecaster. He also has a business to do freelance scientific field work.

Abby specializes in working in remote snowy locations as a photographer and writer. She is passionate about education, mentorship, the outdoors, and making every day “the best day ever.” 

Aiden Goldie teaches high school science in Carbondale, Colorado, USA. He’s passionate about creating equitable spaces in education and outdoor recreation—and climbing mountains! 

Alex maps snow using lidar for the Airborne Snow Observatory. She lives in Mammoth Lakes, CA, and has been playing in the snow since a very young age. She is passionate about water security and environmental justice in the Western US.

Benjamin Hatchett lives in Reno, Nevada, working as an Assistant Research Professor at the Desert Research Institute and Western Regional Climate Center.

Does anybody love snow more than Ben? Snow scientist and snow enthusiast, Ben, lives in Portland, OR. He also works with various remote sensing techniques… of snow!

Bobby Lieberman lives in Anchorage, Alaska, working construction, teaching avalanche safety, and studying nursing at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Brooke is a multi-faceted snow enthusiast who works and recreates in the Sierra Mountains of California. With a past as a hydrology technician for the Yosemite National Park Service, she now ski patrols and teaches avalanche safety during the winters.

Claudio Artoni lives in Milan, Italy, where he works as a snow scientist, an avalanche educator and a climbing instructor. His research is focused on the optical properties of dust and crystals in snow and his polar research has taken him on trips from Svalbard to Antarctica.

Colin is no newbie to CSO — he has placed top 5 in several of our data collection contests over the last couple of years! This east coast-skier is passionate about math and works as a snow and ice science professor at Darthmouth College, NH, with Greenland as one of his field sites.

Action sports photographer, Emily, lives in Reno, NV, where she spends as many days as possible outside working and playing in the snow.

Ethan is an independent naturalist/researcher and freelance outdoors/natural-history writer based in Cove, OR, and the founder of the Wallowa-Blue Mountain Snowfield Project.

Geneva is a Bend, OR, resident who loves backcountry skiing and to study nature. As a Native American woman and someone who also works specifically with community outreach in Native American communities, she is constantly juggling her own pure enjoyment for moving in natural landscapes and doing so in a reciprocal way to our ancestors.

Based in Fairbanks, Alaska, Hank is our northernmost ambassador and passionate about finding snow in the mountain ranges further south! Hank is a researcher with University of Alaska Fairbanks and studies ocean circulation.

Boise, ID, resident and snow scientist, H-P Marshall, previous co-leader for NASA’s SnowEx campaigns and co-director for the CryoGAR group at Boise State University, is passionate about studying, working and playing in the SNOW.

James Molloy lives in Jackson, Wyoming, playing hard in the mountains and procrastinating on his graduate studies in geosciences and water resources.

Jay lives in Park City, Utah, and is a cartographer who can’t stop thinking about ways to map the landscape! In fact, it was one of the reasons why he decided to join CSO – he’d love to see more developments in dynamical mapping of snow.

Global warming advocate, Lisa, lives in Rayleigh, NC, where she’s running a small business in the IT and Business Management industry. She shares her passion for the outdoors with her senior rescue dog.

Liz Burakowski lives in New Hampshire, working as a Research Assistant Professor in the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space at the University of New Hampshire.

Liza Kimberly lives in Bellingham, Washington, and works at a river restoration consulting company. She’s an outdoor enthusiast who often ventures into the Cascade Mountains for backcountry ski tours, mountain biking or just very scenic picnics.

Lucas is a PhD student based out of Syracuse, NY, and studies forest carbon mapping and monitoring in the New York State. He’s a backcountry skier who encourages people to stay mentally grounded and give space for others to do the same.

Maine-resident, Maddie, is a PhD student at the University of New Hampshire who surfs water year-round and has surfed the snow since 2010. She enjoys teaching others to enjoy the outdoors and she believes strongly in the power of a few committed individuals to make a change in this world.

McKenzie Skiles works as a snow hydrologist and Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Utah where her research has mainly focused on dust depositions on snow and their effect on snowmelt.

Year-round outdoor enthusiast, Melissa Estep, lives in Golden, CO, and works as a hydrologist and water resource engineer. She loves combining play in the mountains and on the rivers, and enjoys learning about how the snowpack affects our water supplies.

Mike Styllas mainly splits his time between the French alps and Mount Olympus in Greece. He’s a research associate and ski mountaineering guide, and excited about the growing backcountry ski community in Greece.

Natalie Afonina splits her time between developing autonomous systems for robotics applications and as a sponsored athlete.

As a resident of Kansas City, MO, Nina works as a university professor who focuses on the extreme (icy/snowy) environment, technology, statistics and social science, including citizen science, indigenous people and athletes.

Pat Scanlan lives in New England and directs a backcountry ski program at Carrabassett Valley Academy. He’s also a mountain guide and an avalanche professional.

Pete lives in Longmont, CO, and works in the geospatial software industry. With a background in lidar surveying of snow and glaciers, he’s excited to stay engaged in the field of snow science by engaging as a community snow scientist.

Philip Henderson lives in Cortez, Colorado, working as a repair and outreach specialist at Osprey Packs. He is a mountaineer and led the 2022 Full Circle expedition on Mount Everest.

AIARE-certified avalanche educator, Renee, lives in Hailey, ID. She enjoys sharing the journey of learning about snow with her students and is passionate about building resilient communities.

Renee is a writer based out of Bend, OR, who enjoys writing on subjects related to climate science, policy, and society’s relations to these topics. As a raft guide and skier, she is passionate about the intersection between snow and water.

Riley had already adopted CSO in his work with community members at the non-profit Walking Mountains Science Center prior to joining the ambassador program. He lives in Minturn, CO, where he works and recreates in the surrounding mountains year-round.

Sarah Carter lives in Valdez, Alaska, teaching in Valdez City Schools, instructing for Alaska Avalanche Information Center, and forecasting for the Valdez Avalanche Center.

Sarah lives in Littleton, New Hampshire. She runs a small parent coaching and nature education business called Growing Home. She homeschools are her two little kids — and they are part of her snow observation team!

Sean works for Colorado Outward Bound School and is working towards becoming an avalanche professional. He lives in Leadville, CO, where he has skied and snowmobiled for his entire life.

Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, Seth serves as the Colorado River Programs Manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority. While addressing the effects of climate change on the water resources of the public water system, Seth is also passionate about collecting snow data in the field — and train others to join him in this effort.

Chemist and year-round skier, Toby, lives in Eugene, OR. Passionate about science and learning about the ever-changing snowpacks, he’s excited to participate in CSO and encourages others to join him.

Tyler grew up on a cattle farm in Montana and has witnessed the effects of climate change first-hand. Today he lives in Bozeman, MT, and is a small business owner and after 25 years of backcountry skiing, he is also an avalanche safety instructor-in-training.