Also called: Snow Safety Director
Predicts avalanches in the mountains and sometimes triggers them on purpose with explosives.
Avalanche forecasters dig snow pits to study layers, check weather stations, issue daily danger ratings, and at ski areas or highways throw explosive charges to release dangerous slopes safely.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Degree in geoscience helpful; AIARE/AAA avalanche certifications and years of mountain experience.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Geology, Earth Science, Outdoor Recreation.
Growing about average. Small field.
Low risk for 10 years. Weather-station data and models help, but digging snow pits, reading slopes in person and doing control work with explosives stay human.
Classes: Earth Science, Physics, Statistics, PE or outdoor ed.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2099.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.