On today's show, we're joined by Iain Stewart-Patterson. He is a Professor Emeritus and was one of the founding members of the Adventure Studies Department at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops BC. From his start as an Outward Bound instructor through his certification as an ACMG/IFMGA guide, Iain has led expeditions around the world and has facilitated many dream ski vacations whether accessing the terrain by heli or on foot. Iain has been guiding and instructing snow, rock, and ice adventures for over 42 years. Blending theory and practice, he earned a PhD, in which he investigated the decision processes used by expert heli and snowcat guides in avalanche terrain.

Iain will share insights from his path to becoming an IFMGA guide, his entry into motorized travel in the mountains, the development of a motorized guide curriculum, and relevant research around the role intuition plays within expert decision making. With such a wealth of knowledge and experience, Iain is the perfect guest to discuss the complexities of decision-making in the mountains.

Episode Breakdown:

- Intro

- Caleb: Introduction of Iain Stewart-Patterson (2:40)

- Iain: Introduction to his beginnings (3:44)

- Iain: Talking about building an Apprentice Guide Resume (8:24)

- Iain: Explains the Adventure Studies Program at Thompson River - - ---- University (9:56)

- Iain: Goes into his journey toward the motorized community (16:22)

- Iain: Digging into avalanche motorized education (20:46)

- Iain: Discusses the differences between ski and motorized travel (27:06)

- Iain: Clarifies the process of creating an education curriculum (39:34)

- Iain: Helps us understand snowpack penetration results with motorized travel (49:16)

- Iain: Educates us about the expert halo and how to consider risk (58:20)

- Iain: Incidence of over exposure (1:14:00)

Outro (1:20:00)

Socials:

The Avalanche Hour Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/theavalanchehourpodcast/

Iain Stewart-Patterson - https://www.instagram.com/iainstewartpatterson/

Links:

Thompson River University - https://www.tru.ca/adventure-studies.html

Bruce Jamieson and Iain - https://vimeo.com/551688410

Stress Measurement Study - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165232X14002079

Sponsors for this episode:

Wyssen : https://www.wyssenavalanche.com/en/

Crew:

Host - Caleb Merrill

Producer - Cameron Griffin - https://www.instagram.com/backcountrycam/

Donate:

The Avalanche Hour Podacast - https://www.theavalanchehour.com/donate

The American Avalanche Association - https://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/donate