- Date
- Friday, September 16, 2022
Karl Klassen and Mary Clayton have made invaluable contributions to public avalanche safety throughout their careers.
2022 Gordon Ritchie Service Award recipients Karl Klassen (left) and Mary Clayton (right) with Avalanche Canada executive director Gilles Valade.
Each year, Avalanche Canada presents the Gordon Ritchie Service Award to an individual or organization that has demonstrated exceptional dedication to public avalanche safety. This year, the award was presented to Karl Klassen and Mary Clayton in recognition of their invaluable contributions to public avalanche safety throughout their careers.
Mary and Karl have been with Avalanche Canada since its inception in 2004 as the Canadian Avalanche Centre. They both played key roles in helping Avalanche Canada become a world-class public avalanche safety organization.
Karl, a certified Mountain Guide with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, began his avalanche safety career as a forecaster and in 2009 became Manager of the Public Avalanche Warning Service. He took a small, dispersed group of forecasters and built the world’s largest forecasting program. Most recently, he led the development of the ground-breaking AvID forecasting software.
Mary, with a background in journalism and avalanche control, was the first person in Canada to undertake a communications role dedicated to public avalanche safety. She shaped the way we communicate with the public, as well as professional and government organizations.
Avalanche Canada has grown exponentially under Mary and Karl and now provides programs and services nationwide. Since 2004, the 10-year running average of Canadian avalanche fatalities has declined by 30%, despite unprecedented growth in winter backcountry recreation. Mary and Karl’s contributions played a substantial role in this accomplishment.
Although Mary and Karl both retired from Avalanche Canada in July, they are both staying on in advisory roles.