Don Sharaf
Avalanche Risk Solutions presents the perfect opportunity for Don to draw on his 35 years as an avalanche professional. Years of glacier mountaineering and backcountry ski guiding led to over 20 years of mechanized ski guiding and operational forecasting. Avalanche forecasting and mitigation work for industrial projects in Alaska further expanded his skill set. Decades spent as an avalanche educator and owner of the American Avalanche Institute gave him a wide perspective from his work on Professional Training Courses with many ski areas throughout the Western US and Alaska. Don has learned about, and been humbled by, many different snowpacks from the depth hoar in Colorado to the facet crust combinations of SE Alaska and the many permutations between. Don has had the honor to work with many of his generation’s top dogs and has had the pleasure of mentoring many of the leaders of the next generation of Snow Safety Directors, Avalanche Forecasters, and Guides.
Risk consulting and analysis take many forms, from quantitative risk analysis for highways to addressing communication and leadership within snow safety teams. Don embraces the challenge of learning about new venues and people and coming up with solutions to previously unanswered questions. As his mentor, Dave Hamre, told him, “…people don’t hire us to answer easy questions.”
Don and his wife Julie live in Victor, Idaho, but they spend months each year working in Alaska.
