The Friends of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center has hired longtime Wood River Valley resident Cody Richmond as its new executive director.
As director, Richmond will be “in charge of logistics and nonprofit administration,” according to the organization’s website.
Richmond, who grew up in the Wood River Valley, served as president of the Sawtooth Snowmobile Club and is an instructor at the American Avalanche Research and Education Institute, according to a press release. He studied business with an emphasis in nonprofit management and worked as a guide on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.
Dostar is a non-profit organization that funds about half of the Avalanche Center’s operating budget. In fiscal year 2025, it expects to contribute about $110,000, according to a budget request document filed with the city of Ketchum. The city allocated $5,000 to the Friends in fiscal year 2025. The organization also raises funds through other sponsorships, private donations, grants and fundraising events.
The Sawtooth Avalanche Center offers free mountain weather and avalanche forecasts, which begin when there is enough snow in the mountains for snow travel and usually continues through mid-April.
In collaboration with the Friends, the Avalanche Center also offers avalanche education in the classroom and in the field. According to the Avalanche Center’s 2023-2024 Annual Report, during the 2023-2024 season, he made 60 educational presentations and reached more than 2,500 people.