Utah Avalanche Center Legend Craig Gordon Retires After 27 Years

Craig Gordon retired from full-time avalanche forecasting after 27 years with the Utah Avalanche Center. He became widely recognized for his distinctive appearance and energetic communication style. After arriving in Utah in 1984, he worked for a decade with the Brighton Resort ski patrol and became the resort’s first designated avalanche forecaster. He joined the UAC in the late 1990s, managing data collection and safety forecasts for remote mountain ranges. After a fatal 2003 avalanche near Sundance Resort, he helped create the “Know Before You Go” program with Bruce Tremper to teach young riders how to manage risk in the backcountry. The program has been adopted in 44 countries, translated into 11 languages, and is associated with a stable fatality rate despite increased backcountry participation. He also advanced multimedia approaches to communicate real-time mountain hazards.

"Craig Gordon, known throughout the ski community for his distinctive top knot, surfer-infused vocabulary, and boundless enthusiasm, retired from full-time forecasting this spring. His departure concludes a 27-year tenure that fundamentally modernized winter safety education."

"Recognizing that traditional, academic safety lectures were failing to resonate with younger skiers and snowboarders, Gordon partnered with then-director Bruce Tremper to develop the “Know Before You Go” awareness program. Designed to be fast-paced, edgy, and non-judgmental, the framework focused on teaching teenagers how to safely manage risk rather than telling them to stay out of the mountains entirely."

"The initiative quickly became a global benchmark. Today, the program is utilized in 44 countries and has been translated into 11 languages, contributing to a stable fatality rate despite a massive surge in backcountry participation over the last two decades, The Salt Lake Tribune reports."

"In addition to classroom education, Gordon was a pioneer in using modern multimedia to convey immediate mountain risks. In 2012, after triggering a massive, 1,200-foot-wide slide in the"

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