Dan Adams

Avalanche safety educator and advocate

// By Rachel Walker

To hear Dan Adams tell it, the Jackson-born lifelong Wyoming resident is not a natural leader. This, despite his having played a massive role in educating countless snowmobilers about the hazards of avalanches and how to safely sled in the backcountry. Or despite his longstanding partnerships with Polaris and Klim—which go back more than 15 years and 10 years, respectively. Though he was a former Slednecks movie star and professional freeride athlete who cut his teeth in the Tetons and circled the globe in pursuit of steep slopes and deep powder.

He says it wasn’t natural leadership that spurred him to create and run two successful small business, the winter-based Next Level Riding Clinics and Blacktop Pros in the summer. Rather, he credits his role as a leader in avalanche safety and education, not to mention as a world-class snowmobile guide, to diligent and repetitive practice and a hungry appetite for knowledge.

“I became one through lots and lots of practice, which doesn’t make us perfect, but can make us more prepared,” he says.

His practice began in earnest on Dec. 2, 2007. The now-49-year-old was sledding with his friends in the backcountry on a day that professional forecasters had designated as a high risk for avalanches. The group was in an exposed area and, in Adams’s words, “having a great time.” If the snowpack signaled its weakness fracturing on the surface or making a whoomphing sound as the layers within collapsed under the stress of the group, Adams and his friends didn’t hear it over the sound of music and revving engines. In fact, they didn’t see the avalanche until it was upon them and buried one of Adams’s best friends for five terrifying minutes. “I had the right equipment with me, but no experience, no plan,” Adams says. Luck spared his friend’s life. While probing the snow, Adams’s older brother hit the buried friend’s helmet, and the crew frantically dug him out. 

That “massive wake-up call” convinced Adams that if he was going to continue to ride snowmobiles in the backcountry, he needed to know what to do in emergencies. He needed to understand avalanche science; be able to interpret avalanche forecasts and use that information to make educated decisions; and he had to share this knowledge with friends and, well, any snowmobiler venturing into avalanche terrain. “I knew I would never be so exposed and unprepared again,” Adams says.

“The intention isn’t to take people out and scare the crap out of them. It is to teach them how to be safe.”

He took basic first aid, basic backcountry training, and avalanche safety. At the end of a 10-day wilderness first responder course, he understood exactly how false his false sense of security had been. “It’s like heading into the backcountry in flip flops,” he says of his naivete. “People get complacent and a little numb about what could happen. I did, and I saw that I needed even more knowledge.”

This epiphany coincided with a rise in overall winter backcountry use. However, much of the messaging around backcountry safety was targeted toward nonmotorized users—backcountry skiers, snowboarders, and snowshoers. It also occurred alongside major advances in snowmobile sled design that made previously inaccessible slopes a mere throttle away. Combined, Adams saw the potential for tragedy as unsuspecting sledders put themselves into risky terrain and also an opportunity to share his hard-won knowledge with others who needed it.

Enter Next Level Riding Clinics, the company Adams founded in 2008 to teach backcountry and mountain riding snowmobile skills to a wide range of snowmobilers, from novice to advanced. Each clinic starts with a comprehensive session on avalanche safety and equipment. As the clinic progresses, participants learn technique, refine their skills, and practice avalanche rescue simulations with beacons, shovels, and probes. Adams encourages all riders to learn about avalanches and safe riding, insisting that the more prepared everyone in the group is, the safer they’ll be. “Snowmobiling is a group effort,” he says. “You’re out there with your absolute best people on the planet, so why wouldn’t it be important that everyone collectively learns how to do it safely?”

And this is where his idea of leadership comes in. An effective leader, he says, doesn’t just take a course and consider themselves prepared. They need repeated training, continuous education, innate curiosity, and a desire to constantly learn and improve. In the case of an avalanche, a good leader remains composed, communicative, and can direct a step-by-step rescue process that is orderly and effective. “You need to know what to do, and you need to have practiced that so that it’s second nature,” he says. “That takes the emotion out of it, so you fall back on your training, take in the whole picture, and use that information to save lives.”

If it sounds serious, well, it is. But Adams is not here to scare you away from the backcountry. He loves the untracked snow, the wild environment, and getting away from the crowds, and he understands that you do, too. If anything, he believes that a sober understanding of the risk and a comprehensive acquisition of knowledge to minimize that risk makes the entire endeavor more fun. “The intention isn’t to take people out and scare the crap out of them,” he says. “It is to teach them how to be safe.”

And even then, things happen. Nature cannot be controlled, and humans are fallible, Adams included. He’ll tell you himself, and he has, sharing footage and recollections in a recently released video from Friends of the Bridger-Teton about how to “backcountry responsibly.” 

The incident Adams shares occurred in December 2021 when he and his guiding clients were caught in an avalanche. 

In the video, Adams and his guests are seen riding their sleds up steep hills before coming to a stop at the valley bottom—an avalanche runout zone. Something triggers a slide above, and he and his clients are caught. He deploys his safety airbag, and then, when the pummeling stops,  Adams, nearly breathless but alert and aware, assesses the situation and digs out a rider who is completely buried. “I was so focused on killer snow, killer sleds, and customer experience; and when that avalanche happened, there was nowhere for us to go,” he says.

Calling it an “embarrassing moment,” he said it was critical that his oversight and close call could be used to foster more conversations about safety and encourage more riders to educate themselves. Because if Adams, who has been riding for Polaris for more than 15 years, can make dumb decisions every now and again despite his decades of training, chances are others who are less experienced might, too. Which is why, he says, it is essential to take a backcountry safety course and then to practice what you learn to keep that knowledge fresh.

Dan’s Tips for Backcountry Snowmobilers

Before heading into the backcountry, all snowmobilers, regardless of experience should have the following:

A plan: Know where you are riding (based on the daily forecast and experience of the riders), who you are riding with (ensuring all have similar ability levels, proper gear, and good communication), and what time you are riding start to finish (letting someone know when you plan to return).

Layers: Temperatures fluctuate in the backcountry, and the right layers of clothing keep you dry and warm. Adams rides in Klim—lightweight, technical apparel specially designed for snowmobilers. 

First aid kit: Adams recommends keeping a first aid kit in your backpack (though on your sled is second best). Stock yours with the usual stuff and add super glue to close wounds, a tampon for fire starter, batteries, Quick Clot to stem bleeding, duct tape, pocket flare, and fire-starter (he likes Wetfire) in case you need to build a fire and the wood is wet. JH