Erik mentored hundreds of backcountry riders during four years as the president of Backcountry Club at the University of Colorado – Boulder, where he also taught Avalanche Level 1. College for Erik was a balance between charting new ski descents on obscure peaks, and hard work to complete his master’s degree in Remote Sensing, Earth, and Space Sciences, with certificates in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Oceanography. He holds his Level 3 Certification from the American Avalanche Institute, and his AIARE Avalanche Level II certification. He's a Professional Member of the American Avalanche Association and he continually supplements his training through ongoing professional development and mentorship. He has been a ski guide for Alaska Mountain Guides, an educator teaching Avalanche safety courses for DPS and the Haines school, and a forecaster with 8 seasons of experience in Haines. Erik spent two years working on operational forecasting research at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and one year at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science, researching climate model sensitivity to global ocean processes. He moved to Haines, Alaska in 2010, where he founded the Haines Avalanche Information Center. He is obsessed with snow, passionate about backcountry riding, and can be found on his splitboard throughout Alaska’s winter wilderness.