Two long-time important contributors to our industry were appointed Honorary Members of the Canadian Avalanche Association at the 2025 Spring Conference.
DAVE MCCLUNG
When Dr. David McClung joined the CAA in 1981, he was member #1. Over a career spanning more than 50 years, he has helped advance snow science globally, first with the National Research Council of Canada, and then from his position as a researcher and engineer at the University of British Columbia.
Dave’s ongoing research has focused on snow and avalanche mechanics, both theoretical and applied. He completed his PhD in 1974 and wrote his thesis on avalanche defense mechanics. Beginning in 1979, he conducted research on avalanche initiation that focused on material properties for shear fracture propagation. His work considered snow as a pressure-sensitive, dilatant, strain-softening material. In 2006, he co-authored a paper (along with Juerg Schweizer) on the significance of fracture energy as a crucial material property relevant to avalanche initiation. This concept remains instrumental in fracture models for avalanche initiation, including those that incorporate both shear and compression.
Dave’s other contributions are almost too numerous to list and include work on statistical runout estimation, avalanche dynamics, the interaction of avalanches and forest cover, and human factors in avalanche forecasting. He also helped develop the Canadian avalanche size scale. Dave worked alongside Peter Schaerer at the National Research Council until 1991, when their office was closed. He then went to UBC, where he was the NSERC’s Industry Research Chair. There, he guided future leaders in the avalanche industry such as Pascal Haegeli, James Floyer, Steve Conger, and Chris Borstad. He co-authored the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions of The Avalanche Handbook with Peter Schaerer in 1994, 2006, and 2022, respectively.
Dave brought much of this research to the CAA. While known for his challenging academic presentations, he introduced many practical concepts to the membership including risk-based decision-making and concepts such as the operational risk band that have been invaluable for explaining to managers and those in government why operations should not strive for zero risk. He was also the founder of the CAA Technical Committee and has served on it for the past 35 years.
KARL KLASSEN
Karl Klassen’s fingerprints are all over modern avalanche safety. Karl enjoyed a 40-year career as an ACMG Mountain Guide, avalanche forecaster, researcher, author, instructor, examiner, and even filmmaker. He was the long-time lead guide for Monashee Powder Snowcats and served as both the President and Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.
Karl was one of the key players in shaping Avalanche Canada into the world-leading public avalanche safety agency it is today. As Warning Service Manager, he led Avalanche Canada’s evolution into a one-stop shop for winter backcountry users of all kinds. He acted as a liaison with warning services around the world, and coordinated many avalanche safety initiatives with Canadian provincial and federal agencies. He was a mentor to dozens of avalanche forecasters, many of whom have become industry leaders. Finally, he supported Canadian research and led the development of the AvID forecasting platform.
For the CAA, Karl co-wrote the curriculum for the Avalanche Operations Level 3 course and served on the InfoEx Advisory Committee, where he shouldered critical tasks such as rewriting subscriber agreements, reconciling competing interests, and advising on InfoEx development. “When the heavy lifting needed doing, one name always rose to the top—Karl Klassen,” wrote one nomination.
