The Center for Snow & Avalanche Studies serves the mountain science community and regional resource managers by hosting & conducting interdisciplinary research and conducting integrative 24/7/365 monitoring that captures weather, snowpack, radiation, soils, plant community and hydrologic signals of regional climate trends.
Become a Friend of CSAS:
The Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies believes that the physical location of a snow and avalanche research organization really can matter - that living squarely within the alpine snow system significantly enhances its study. We are expanding the research capacity of colleges and universities, of mountain research institutes, and of government agencies by developing the 720 acre Senator Beck Basin Study Area on US Forest Service lands located north of Silverton at Red Mountain Pass with high-quality snow system research and monitoring instrumentation and programs. We also provide a convenient and safe field teaching site, fully permitted by the Bureau of Land Management, at our Animas Valley Study Area just a few minutes east of Silverton where students can perform snowpack profiles while observing an impressive array of nearby avalanche terrain.
Senator Beck Basin Study Area
Center Facilities
Archival Data