The Utah Avalanche Center has a new leader, and he's one of the backcountry skiers who depend on its forecasts every winter morning.

Nazz Kurth officially joined the nonprofit as executive director in June 2026, succeeding Caroline Miller, who departed in April. Kurth, originally from New Hampshire, has lived in Utah for 20 years and worked in outdoor recreation leadership. As an avid backcountry skier, he's spent that time using the center's Dawn Patrol forecasts to squeeze in early-morning ski runs before clocking in by 9 a.m.

"Saving lives through avalanche forecasting, awareness and education is really compelling for me," Kurth told the Park Record. "Having been in the mountains, kind of like my whole adult life, you see when things go wrong, you lose friends and colleagues. So being a part of an organization that's really focused on trying to help people be safer in the backcountry, for me, that's really compelling."

Kurth said his top priorities include expanding the work of the center's forecasting team and securing the funding to keep those programs running. Seventy-five percent of the nonprofit's revenue comes from donations, he said.

The Utah Avalanche Center was founded in 1980 and operates as a public-private partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, providing snow-condition forecasts and education across nine Utah regions, including the Salt Lake zone that covers Wasatch backcountry accessible from Park City. The center's Know Before You Go avalanche awareness campaign is used in schools and recreation programs internationally.

The center's biggest annual fundraiser, the 33rd Backcountry Benefit, is set for Thursday, September 10. Tickets are $30 and available at the Utah Avalanche Center's online store. The event doubles as a kickoff to the winter season and a chance for the backcountry community to rally behind the center's forecasting mission heading into the 2026-27 season.