ISSW returned to Breckenridge for the first time in 24 years. Again, it was held in the Beaver Run Resort.

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Beautiful fall colors and sunshine greeted everyone the first weekend as they arrived. This gave way to a midweek snowstorm that coated the area in snow but cleared back to sunshine later in the week.

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Oral presentations were given in the Colorado Ballroom with a simulcast room in the Breckenridge Ballroom. Posters were displayed each day in the Summit Gallery, and commercial exhibitors were in the area just outside of the Colorado Ballroom.

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ISSW 2016 continued to encourage discussions by again holding late morning Workshops with a panel of experts and moderated discussion. This year the topics were: “Implementing Avalanche Worker Safety Strategies”, “Public’s Role in Avalanche Safety”, “Measuring Success in Avalanche Safety Programs”, and “Integrating Public Safety Messages”. The Workshops filled the Breckenridge Ballroom. The panel discussions were held concurrently with the late morning paper presentations, but organizers attempted to schedule topics that were less likely to conflict. This year a series of shorter oral presentations (14’ers) were given just after Workshops discussions prior to lunch allowing some additional oral presentations to be squeezed in.

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Once again, authors who wished to submit papers to refereed journals were given two choices; They could submit their work to special issues of either Cold Regions Science and Technology Journal or the Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.

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The Proceedings were distributed through a USB key. However, hardcopies of the Abstracts and the Schedule were available. The “ISSW 2016” app for iPhone and Android was a big success. It not only provided the conference schedule and maps, but also full PDF copies of the Papers and Abstracts, Attendees list, etc. – essentially the contents of the Proceedings. In addition, it had a Social Wall where attendees could exchange messages, a Twitter feed, and Alerts of changes.

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The Wednesday Field trip had a mix of sun and flurries through the day. The Field trip offered included: Gazex installation tour, Ski Area Hiking, several Mountain Biking Trips, Paddle Boarding, Rafting, a Mine tour and Golf.

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A busy Social schedule filled the week. The Sunday night Welcome Party provided beverages and pretty much a full buffet dinner for most people. Monday was the “Taste of Colorado” at the River Walk Center featuring Colorado cuisine. Tuesday was Diva’s Night and “after party”. Wednesday night featured Movie night. Thursday was the ISSW Banquet featuring keynote speaker Chris Davenport. Most afternoons featured a Social hour at 5PM with beverages allowing attendees to mingle.

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