Brian Lazar
Instructor, Avalanche Science; Deputy Director, Colorado Avalanche Information Center719-486-2015 | blazar@coloradomtn.edu
Education
- M.S. Civil Engineering, University of Colorado
- B.S. Environmental Science and Biology, University of Colorado
Professional Certifications and Associations
- Wilderness First Responder
- American Avalanche Association (AAA), Certified Instructor Pro 1 and 2
- AIARE, Curriculum Developer, former Executive Director, Board Member
- AIARE Course Leader Levels 1 - 3
- Snowmobile Safety Instructor, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
- AMGA training, Ski Mountaineering, Rock, Alpine
- Type 1 Explosives training, Permit for Avalanche Control, Colorado Dept. of Labor and Employment
About
Brian has been the Deputy Director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) since 2010. Prior to his work with the CAIC, Brian was an avalanche educator and curriculum developer as well as the Executive Director with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE), and former member of the American Avalanche Association Education Committee.
After more than a decade of guiding in a variety of snow climates on both sides of the equator, Brian returned to graduate school where he studied snow and ice mechanics in Alaska’s Chugach Range, and conducted research at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research.
Thanks to a collaboration between Colorado Mountain College and the CAIC, Brian brings his years of expertise in avalanche education to the Avalanche Science curriculum. He looks forward to assisting in individual student development through the program’s unique mentorship structure.
“My hope is that students leave with a core skill set and competency that allows them enter the role as an avalanche professional,” says Brian, “and can easily accept and Incorporate training and mentorship.”
