Meet the Board
The Coastal Alaska Avalanche Center (CAAC) is a non-profit organization based in Juneau, Alaska, that promotes avalanche safety and accident prevention to the general public. The CAAC is governed by a volunteer board of directors that includes avalanche professionals, mountain rescue professionals, and avid backcountry users.
Pat Dryer
With over a decade of avalanche forecasting experience, Pat serves as an educator for the Alaska Avalanche School. He also brings extensive rescue expertise as a former Eaglecrest Ski Patroller and dedicated Juneau Mountain Rescue volunteer in technical rope rescue, avalanche response, and incident command roles. Fueled by a lifelong passion for skiing and winter recreation, Pat co-founded the Coastal Alaska Avalanche Center to share knowledge, raise awareness, and promote safe backcountry travel.
Emily Nauman
Emily is a semi-nomadic skier and climber whose heart lives in the mountains of Juneau. Beyond her role on CAAC’s board, she is active in Juneau Mountain Rescue and serves on the board of Juneau Climbing and Recreation (The Rock Dump). Emily especially loves outdoor adventures with her new puppy, Ida. Emily brings her passion for mountain recreation and community safety to everything she does.
Dea Huff
An avid backcountry skier with 10 years of nonprofit rescue work and board experience through Juneau Mountain Rescue, Dea currently serves as CAAC’s President. She takes pride in all this small board has accomplished, bringing backcountry forecasting to Juneau while building excitement for the year ahead. Dea continues to prioritize safety in her local backcountry skiing, recently completing her Avalanche Pro 1 certification. She especially enjoys learning alongside friends and colleagues.
Kanaan Bausler
With a decade and a half in the snow science and backcountry safety industry as a forecaster, guide, and educator, Kanaan focuses his CAAC contributions on scholarships, events, and forecasting. Eaglecrest serves as his happy place, and he remains forever grateful for the mountains of Douglas and the community that raised him to love snow.
Sam Steensland
A self-described recovering ski bum, Sam has passionately pursued backcountry skiing since the days of telemark bindings and 88mm “fat skis.” Having benefited immensely from the shared knowledge of snow safety educators, ski partners, and avalanche centers over the years, he works with CAAC to help Juneau’s backcountry community stay aware and feel welcome in the area’s amazing mountains.
Shawn Eisele
With a background in law and several decades of nonprofit sector experience, Shawn supports CAAC’s organizational management side. A lifelong skier who’s becoming increasingly discerning about snow conditions, he brings his enthusiasm for keeping Southeast Alaskans safe while they find the powder.
Jean Larson-Rein
Jean has spent five years playing in Juneau’s mountains—exploring the backcountry on weekends while working weekdays as a ski patroller at Eaglecrest. As a new CAAC board member, she’s excited to support the mission as the Eaglecrest liaison, bridging the resort and backcountry communities.
Alan Gordon
With 18 years of avalanche forecasting and mitigation experience in complex mountainous environments, Alan spends equal time in Juneau’s winter backcountry. He regularly accesses remote areas by snowmobile for skiing and winter recreation, and works to connect more backcountry snowmobile users to CAAC. Understanding that pushing snowmobile accessibility boundaries requires maintaining safe exploration practices, Alan believes in giving snowmobilers the tools to understand backcountry hazards, helping keep more people safe while enjoying Juneau’s beautiful mountains.