Insert Podcast here
In this 2nd podcast for the Utah Avalanche Center, we interview Brett "Kowboy" Kobernik. We explore his background, forecasting style, and what makes the "mad scientist" of the UAC tick. Brett talks about his experience as a snowboard heli-ski guide in Alaska, as the inventor of the Voile split-board, and as a long time avalanche educator and backcountry ski guide. Kowboy started with the UAC in the Salt Lake City office in the winter of 2004/2005 and moved to Spring City, Utah in the winter of 2015/2016 to become the full time forecaster for the Manti-Skyline plateau. His skill and passion for riding his snow-bike on the Plateau has not only turned heads on the Skyline, but allowed him to quickly assimilate into the mountain communities in central Utah.
It's his upbringing on a cherry farm in Michigan that informs his easy-going nature and common sense, practical approach to problem solving. But beyond that, his background as a rancher instilled in him an interest in how things work, leading him to - over the years - design a build a better mousetrap on many levels. Kobernik designed and built his own snow density gauge, ram-penetrometer, weather station, and snow-bike while pioneering new methods to measure near surface snow temperatures to understand - and take photos of - the snow faceting process. A Renaissance man at the UAC, Brett continues to run the cherry orchard in the off-season.
Brett Kobernik has been with the Utah Avalanche Center since the 2004-2005 winter season. He has worked as a helicopter skiing guide in Valdez, Alaska in the mid 90s, has been a backcountry ski and snowboard guide for Utah Mountain Adventures for a number of years and has worked as a product tester and designer for Voile Equipment in Salt Lake City. Since Brett single-handedly invented the split board, he does much of his field work on a split snowboard and is versed on skis, snowmobiles, and snowbikes as well. (Click HERE for a cool video profile of Brett.) Brett is also responsible for much of the technical "behind the scenes" work on the UAC's website. He has also done web work for the American Avalanche Association as well.
Benjamin Bombard is the executive producer of the podcast. He's also a producer of RadioWest on KUER 90.1.