Our Mission

Founded in 2010, the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center Foundation is the non-profit organization that helps fund the operations of the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center. Each year, the Foundation helps raise 70% of Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center (BTAC) funding through private donations and grants. Wyoming State Trails, Grand Teton National Park Foundation and many volunteers provide critical support to help achieve our collective goal of providing avalanche and weather information to recreationalists around the region. The Foundation work tirelessly to raise awareness of the BTAC’s essential contributions of daily, detailed avalanche forecasts, snow and weather data and avalanche awareness education for Northwest Wyoming.

Each year, over 70% of the Avalanche Center’s funding is derived from community donations or grants from the State of Wyoming.

If you are a winter backcountry skier, snowboarder or snowmobiler, and value the free, scientific, decision-guiding information the BTAC provides, please help support our work.

BTAC Foundation

Dwayne Meadows, Executive Director

Board Members

  • Mitch Dann, Chair
  • Stewart Johnson, Treasurer
  • David DeFazio, Secretary
  • Tana Hoffman Cook
  • Chris Harder
  • John Klaczkiewicz
  • Dave Landes 
  • Bob Peters
  • Jen Reddy
  • Jenn Sparks
  • Lynne Wolf

BTAC Forest Service Forecast Staff

Frank Carus

Frank started with the US Forest Service at the Mount Washington Avalanche Center in 2011 and has been the Director of BTAC since 2021. Frank worked a SAR team leader and Incident Commander in the for many avalanche and mountain rescues on Mt Washington and has investigated more avalanche incidents and fatalities than he would like. He has an obvious passion for learning and has taken the AMGA Alpine, Ski, and Ski Mountaineering guide courses and has been a certified Rock Instructor since 1996. Working vacations take him around the country to teach technical rope rescue, fight wildland fires, or work as a mountain guide. The human relationship to risk-taking is an endless source of fascination for Frank.

frank@bridger-tetonavalanchecenter.org

Alex Drinkard

Alex grew up around Spokane, WA where his fascination for mountains and deep powder snow began. His Forest Service career started in silviculture while obtaining a BS in Environmental Science from Portland State University. Transitioning to wildland fire enabled him to spend winters in the remote landscapes of British Columbia gaining extensive backcountry knowledge by blending his passion for motorized and human powered travel. Since 2020, he has worked for the Bridger-Teton National Forest as a snow ranger and with the avalanche center. Alex is stoked to continually engage with all the incredible local communities of snow enthusiasts across the forecast zones to evolve and improve BTAC.

Gabrielle Antonioli

Gabrielle was fortunate to grow up exploring the mountains of Montana near her hometown of Butte. She started climbing and backcountry skiing in college, and eventually developed a deep passion for the study of snow.  When not skiing, she enjoys painting and mountain trail runs that usually involve a good bit of scrambling. Gabrielle is currently completing a Master of Science in Snow Science at Montana State University and is also working for the NASA SnowEx project in conjunction with Boise State University.  She is also an AMGA apprentice guide. Teaching people about snow remains her favorite job!

Mike Rheam

Mike works as the avalanche hazard reduction leader for Jackson Hole Ski Patrol and as a forecaster for the Bridger-Teton NF Avalanche Center. Mike is the coordinator and lead instructor for the JH NAS Field Session. He has had extensive experience heli-ski guiding and forecasting and is currently a guide and snow safety consultant for a backcountry lodge in the Alaska Range. Mike floats, fishes, hikes, and skis with his wife and daughter, both of whom ski better than he does.

Travis Baldwin

Travis grew up in the Green Mountains of Vermont. He attended the University of Wyoming where he studied engineering and started climbing on the granite domes of Vedauwoo. He spent much of the last 15 years working for the National Park Service running trail crews in Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Park and more recently as a climbing ranger in the North Cascades and currently on Denali. He started mountain guiding several years ago on Denali’s West Buttress but now enjoys living and working in the Tetons. Travis’ position is funded by a generous grant from the Grand Teton National Park Foundation.

Noah McCorkel

Noah grew up on the Front Range of Colorado as the child of two talented rock climbers. He was exposed to the mountains at a young age and first climbed the Grand Teton at age 13. This was a formative experience for Noah and ultimately led him to return to the Tetons for good after graduating from the University of Colorado in 2017.

Noah is passionate about all forms of skiing and climbing and has pursued them at a high level from South America to Alaska. A bit of a dual personality, Noah also enjoys science, obtaining a MS in Geospatial Information Science and Technology from the University of Wyoming in 2023. Most of all, Noah loves teaching and sharing his excitement for the mountains with those around him.