Photo: Brenda Hollon
BIO
My name is Gabi Benel and I live in Aspen, Colorado, where I work as an Avalanche Technician and Professional Ski Patroller on the Snow Safety Team of the Snowmass Ski Patrol.
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I am a graduate of the Colorado Mountain College Avalanche Science Program, having completed the program in May of 2019.
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Growing up in New York, I learned to ski in the Catskills and Adirondack Mountains. It is also where I discovered my love of rock climbing, and have since climbed around the country and the world. I have guided rock climbing in the US, and mountaineering on Denali and other peaks in the Alaska Range.
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I studied Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and earned my BSc there in 2002 and a Master's degree there in 2003.
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My reason for enrolling in the Avalanche Science Program was to gain a deeper understanding of both the details and the grander picture of snow and avalanche science. I love delving into the particulars of fracture mechanics and snow metamorphism, while at the same time getting knee deep in the snow, observing and learning the phenomena first hand. The knowledge and experience I have gained have made me a safer avalanche worker, a better educator, and has increased my thirst to learn more.
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Photo: Brenda Hollon