Letter: Upcoming Changes to the SFU Avalanche Research Program

This letter from Pascal Haegeli was published in The Avalanche Journal, Volume 139, Fall 2025

Dear members of the Canadian Avalanche Community,

I want to share some important news about my personal future. On June 1, 2026, I will be taking on the leadership of the Snow Avalanche and Prevention research unit at the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF in Davos, Switzerland. This is the position of Jürg Schweizer, who is retiring after a highly influential career in avalanche safety research, which included a long-time collaboration with Bruce Jamieson.

This is a remarkable opportunity and I’m honoured to take it on. The unit includes around 50 staff working on avalanche safety and research, as well as the Swiss avalanche warning service. I see this as a reflection of not just my work, but as a recognition of the strength and international reputation of the Canadian avalanche community, which I’ve been privileged to be part of for the past 25 years. I believe my
experience conducting applied and community-engaged avalanche safety research was one of the key selling features of my application.

Accepting this role was not an easy decision. Canada and its avalanche safety community remain my professional and personal home. I’m especially grateful for the long-term support from partners like the CAA, HeliCat Canada, Avalanche Canada, CP Rail, and Mike Wiegele, without whom the SFU Avalanche Research Program would not have been possible. Even more importantly, I am thankful to the countless students and collaborators I have worked with, and personal friends I have made within the community over the years.

While I will soon be busy with new avalanche safety challenges in Switzerland, it is critical for avalanche research to continue in Canada. After receiving so much support over the years, helping the community find a meaningful path forward is very important to me. Rather than resigning from SFU immediately, I have negotiated a three-year personal leave starting May 1, 2026. This will allow me to bring my existing cohort of students to graduation and fulfill current project commitments. In addition, it also gives us time to plan a thoughtful transition for avalanche research in Canada.

To facilitate this process, I will be working with leaders from all segments of our community and SFU over the next months to develop a plan for how to best proceed. This is the time to develop a bold vision for what the Canadian avalanche community needs over the next 10 to 20 years. If you have any thoughts and ideas, please share them with me and others so we can integrate them into our thinking.

It has been a tremendous privilege to work in this community, and I want to make the most out of the next few months before I leave. I am looking forward to working with you for another winter and seeing everybody at the Spring Conference.

With gratitude,
Pascal