Welcome To The Course!

We're excited for you to begin the journey of refreshing your avalanche skills and knowledge for the upcoming winter season. Backcountry skiing or riding is a complex, cerebral experience that requires you to be on top of your game all the time. Thus, we applaud you for taking the time to refresh your knowledge and work to become a better athlete and partner.

Let's Introduce The Instructors

First off, we've got Nick McEachern. Nick grew up in New England skiing and snowboarding on the icy slopes of New Hampshire and Vermont. He relocated to Utah in 2015 where he earned a Master's degree at the University of Utah in Outdoor Education. At the same time he began guiding backcountry ski trips and teaching avalanche courses. Whether he's searching out the steepest powder in his home range, traversing glacial ice fields in Canada, or taking easy spring laps on Cascade Volcanoes, Nick feels at home in any mountain environment. His approach to Avalanche Education prioritizes good decision making and effective travel techniques aimed at having fun and getting home safely.

In addition to his mountain pursuits, he's the host of the Salt Lake Snowcast, a weekly podcast that hosts interviews and condition reports for the Wasatch Mountains. On top of all of that, Nick is also works as a licensed therapist when he's not out ski guiding.

Originally from Colorado, Kiira Antennucci grew up snowboarding, rock climbing, and kayaking with her family. Kiira graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a bachelor's degree in Geology. It was through her various pursuits in education that she deepened her love for the natural world and found her love of instruction and teaching. Kiira has been working a Mountain Guide since 2019 and guides in Utah, Washington, and Alaska.

When she's not guiding, Kiira can be found: Whitewater kayaking, skiing, trail running, climbing, baking, and so much more! Her main focuses continue to be split boarding and whitewater kayaking, maybe someday soon she'll figure out a trip and a partner to link the two sports together.

Will McKay is the owner of the Mountain Training Center (yes, he’s writing in the third person, someone has to do it). He’s a Certified American Ski Guide by the American Mountain Guides Association and a professional member of the American Avalanche Association. When not working on MTC, he works for the State of Utah as a Public Information Officer and is actively pursuing his Masters of Public Administration. Will also sits on the Board of Directors for the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance, a non-profit that advocates for public land access for backcountry skiing in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his partner & two cats.