Simon Horton is a public avalanche forecaster with Avalanche Canada and an avalanche researcher with the Simon Fraser University Avalanche Research program. His research explores ways weather and snow cover models can be applied to understand mountain snowpack conditions. He completed his PhD in Avalanche Mechanics from the University of Calgary and has spent a decade developing an operational model system that predicts the avalanche conditions across western Canada. A key focus of his work is finding effective ways to communicate complex and uncertain model output to other avalanche forecasters so they can relay backcountry safety messages to the public. He’s based in Kimberley BC where he loves exploring the local mountains on ski, bike, and running shoes.