Jim Woodmencey grew up hiking, backpacking, and, eventually, climbing in the Sierras. In his college years he worked as a summer mountain guide in the Cascade and Alaska Ranges. He received a Bachelor of Science in meteorology from Montana State University in 1982, and then spent a winter working at the Alaska Avalanche Forecast Center as an avalanche and mountain weather forecaster. Since then, Jim has lived in Jackson, Wyoming, where he spent fourteen summers working as a climbing and rescue ranger for Grand Teton National Park, and twenty winters as a helicopter ski guide. Jim established his own weather consulting business, MountainWeather, in 1991, and worked as the on-air meteorologist for the local radio station in Jackson Wyoming for 20 years. Jim spends most of his time now teaching weather-forecasting and avalanche forecasting courses to the general public and to the United States Military. You can learn more about Jim and MountainWeather at www.mountainweather.com. Jim is a member of the American Meteorological Society and is certified as an instructor with the American Avalanche Association.