The goal of the International Snow Science Workshop (ISSW) is to bring snow scientists, in-field practioners and snow experts together to better understand the science of snow. This understanding is designed to subsequently help mitigate the dangers of avalanches and thus prevent more avalanche injuries and deaths.
The International Snow Science Workshop exists to facilitate the interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and experiences between snow science researchers and practioners. The motto of the International Snow Science Workshop is "A Merging of Theory and Practice". ISSW hosts a biennial conference in North America and Europe that brings together researchers and practioners from all over the world. ISSWs are geographically rotated between USA-Europe-Canada.
The next ISSW Conference, ISSW 2016, will be held in Breckenridge, Colorado, USA from October 3-7, 2016.
The International Snow Science Workshop has its roots in meetings held informally in the 50s and early 60's when practioners realized the importance of interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and experiences. The first meeting that brought together government agencies, industries, and users dedicated both to snow and avalanche science was held in April, 1960 at Santa Fe, New Mexico following the 28th Annual Meeting of the Western Snow Conference. About 30 participants spent two days discussing avalanche control methods led in part by Monty Atwater. In 1969, the Snow and Ice Subcommittee of the Associate Committee on Geotechnical Research of the National Research Council of Canada added a meeting on avalanches to one of its periodic conferences attracting 188 participants and 12 papers. In 1971, Dr. Ed LaChapelle organized an informal gathering in Seattle that encouraged exchanges between researchers and practioners. This led to a number of meetings in the US and Canada in the 70s, including Workshops in Banff (1976) and Vancouver (1980) that that were increasingly attended and somewhat more formal.
In 1982, the snow study group at Montana State University organised a meeting that emphasised the importance of interaction and exchanges between practitioners and researchers. This group was chaired by John Montagne who used special invitations to bring together scientists and practical workers in snow and avalanches. This group created the title "International Snow Science Workshop." In addition, they coined the motto of the Workshop "A Merging of Theory and Practice," which continues to this day. At ISSW in 1982, an informal meeting of interested parties was held during the conference to discuss the possibilities of holding ISSW on a regular basis.
