Bend SAW Event Ticket (Nov 14th, 2026)

Bryce is a native Oregonian, enthusiastic backcountry skier, and forest ecologist. Since moving to Bend in 2016 and getting his AIARE level 1 certification, he has enjoyed exploring widely on skis from remote backcountry lines to Pilot Butte. Bryce is excited to help COAC build an educated, safe, and inclusive backcountry community in Central Oregon.

Matthew is a Lead Meteorologist and certified Incident Meteorologist with the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) in Pendleton, Oregon. Prior to joining the NWS in 2020, Matthew spent six years as a broadcast meteorologist across Louisiana, North Carolina, and Oregon. His time broadcasting in Eugene holds a special personal milestone, as it was there he met and co-anchored with his wife, who currently works as a broadcast meteorologist in Tri-Cities, WA.
Before his time in television, Matthew’s career began in research and teaching. He served as a research scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) in Fort Collins, CO, and with the U.S. Forest Service at the Fraser Experimental Forest. During his time in Colorado, he contributed to vital field projects, including snow surveys, beetle kill evaluations, and a NASA remote sensing initiative focused on calibrating snow depth and snow-water-equivalent (SWE) measurements from airborne and satellite platforms.
A lifelong snow sports enthusiast who spent his college years working at a local ski shop, Matthew is deeply passionate about blending his love for the mountains with a commitment to keeping backcountry recreationists safe. His journey comes full circle today: attending this very workshop in 2022 inspired him to step up as the Team Lead for the Avalanche Program at NWS Pendleton.

Katie is a lead forecaster for the NWAC in Leavenworth, WA. She began her career in the snow and avalanche industry studying the remote detection of avalanche activity through the Masters of Geology Program at Central Washington University. After completing an internship with CNFAIC she then spent years working as a ski patroller, highway avalanche technician, and avalanche educator before joining the NWAC team. In addition to skiing and digging in the snow, you can find her adventuring in the mountains via bike or running shoes with her dog Nimbus in pursuit.

John manages the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Avalanche Forecast and Control Program on multiple mountain highways, including Snoqualmie, Chinook, and White Passes. John started his avalanche career on the Alpental, WA Pro Patrol before moving to highway forecasting. He has served as chair of the American Avalanche Association and AAUNAC. Throughout his career, John has taught avalanche courses, presented at the International Snow Science Workshop, and traveled to Europe and New Zealand for collaborative avalanche projects. John lives in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne neighborhood and enjoys running, backcountry skiing, and live music.

Christian is entering his second season as a Forecaster with the Mount Shasta Avalanche Center. He is an AIARE Instructor and has previously worked for the Crested Butte Avalanche Center. In the summer, he serves as a Climbing Ranger on Mount Shasta.

Ryan is a Vermont-bred snow enthusiast who has called Central Oregon home for the past nine years. He is the U.S. representative for the French company MND Safety, working with avalanche programs across the western U.S. to provide sales, project, and technical support for Gazex, O’BellX, and DaisyBell Remote Avalanche Control Systems. Ryan is entering his third winter season as a forecaster with the Central Oregon Avalanche Center and previously spent six winter seasons as a professional ski patroller at Mt. Bachelor.

Sierra is a Ski Patroller, Ski & Alpine Guide, and AIARE Avalanche Course Leader, splitting her time between Salt Lake City, the Pacific Northwest, and chasing winter down to the Southern Hemisphere to patrol in New Zealand.

Koby's love for the mountains bloomed in high school when he was first introduced to climbing and mountaineering through an outdoor program. From rime ice-covered days on Mt. Hood to aching fingers after a weekend of climbing at Smith Rock, he quickly realized that challenge, joy, and growth often come hand in hand in the outdoors.
His pursuit of adventure took him across the country to Bates College in Maine, where he earned an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies in 2017.
Now based in Portland, Oregon, Koby guides rock climbing, alpine climbing, and backcountry skiing throughout the Cascades and beyond. He meets every client where they are, whether that's an introduction to rock climbing or a technical alpine objective, and aims to create a supportive environment where people can surprise themselves with their true abilities. Whether it's long summer days climbing in the alpine or dawn patrol missions for first tracks on Mt. Hood, he's passionate about helping others experience the same sense of adventure, connection, and discovery that drew him to the mountains in the first place.
In 2024, Koby co-founded Trillium Alpine Guides to bring that same ethos to guided adventures and avalanche education across the Pacific Northwest.

Dr. Fink is an emergency and wilderness medicine physician practicing in Central Oregon. Dr. Fink has worked as a NOLS instructor, professional ski patroller, avalanche observer, and on-hill ski physician. He serves as the medical director for the Mt. Bachelor ski and bike patrol and as a member of Deschutes County Search and Rescue. He is a contributing writer at The-High-Route.com and the host of the podcast Wilderness Medicine Updates, the #2 Wilderness Medicine podcast in North America. When not wearing his medical hat, he enjoys moving through the mountains by any and all means. You can find him online at linktr.ee/finkmd.

Gabe has been working as a forecaster for the Central Oregon Avalanche Center since COAC began issuing forecasts in 2020, and has been a professional observer since 2013. He also works as an IFMGA guide, taking folks skiing, teaching avalanche courses and guiding rock climbing during the warmer months. Gabe lives in Tumalo with his family and enjoys putzing around the garden and reading all the books that he was supposed to (but never managed to) read when he was in school.

Mary is an avalanche specialist, mountain guide, field scientist, and educator from Alaska with more than 15 years of experience in the avalanche and mountain industries. Her background spans public avalanche forecasting, highway and railroad avalanche work, mountain guiding and education, and climate and glacier research, as well as more than 15 years of personal ski mountaineering expeditions throughout Alaska—many with all-women teams, including an all-women first ascent in a remote region of Wrangell–St. Elias.

Professional Affiliations:

• Chugach Avalanche Center — Avalanche Specialist
• Alaska Avalanche School — Lead Instructor
• Alaska Mountaineering School — Denali Guide & Mountaineering Instructor
• Alaska Pacific University — Adjunct Faculty, Mountain Weather
• NOLS — Senior Field Instructor / Course Leader
• Denali Basecamp — Basecamp Manager

Matthias is a professional mountain athlete specializing in alpinism, steep skiing and BASE jumping. Originally from France, he currently lives in the United States.
World record holding big mountain skier and BASE jumper, known for combining both sports. He has completed many first descents and ski BASE jumps across the globe and he is the only person to have ski BASE jumped the renowned Alps trilogy: Eiger, Matterhorn and Mont Blanc.
Matthias has appeared on 60 Minutes, Good Morning America and some of GoPro's most successful viral videos. He creates much of his own content and has excellent engagement on social media.
Matthias has also been a correspondent for NBC Universal, Men's Journal, event guest at Google Zeitgeist, closing speaker at TEDxBerkeley and performer for Apple, Facebook and NetApp.

Alli is the editor in chief of the Avalanche Review, a publication of the American Avalanche Association. She has been involved with COAC since 2016, first as a board member, then alternate pro observer and forecaster. In addition to forecasting for COAC, she works as a ski guide and avalanche instructor for Oregon Ski Guides and Timberline Mountain Guides. She is a professional member of the American Avalanche Association and an American Mountain Guides Association Certified Ski Guide. When she's not on snow, Alli is trail running with her dogs Riggins and Firnspiegel or curled up with a book.