Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Avalanche Divas Night Out during the first European ISSW 2009 in Davos, Switzerland, 28. September 2009

The 2009 avalanche Divas are:



from left to right: Glòria Martí (Spain), Cécile Coléou (France), Margherita Maggioni (Italy), Betty Sovilla (Switzerland), Nina Levy (Switzerland).


Glòria Martí, Institut Geològic de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
Glòria Martí is a geologist of the Geological Institut of Catalonia since 1991. She developed and works in the avalanche forecasting programme, avalanche mapping and databasing for the Pyrenees. She also teaches avalanche courses and is a member of the Working Group of European Avalanche Forecasting Services.

Cécile Coléou
, CEN Centre d’Études de la Neige, Météo France, Grenoble, France
Cécile Coléou is a meteorologist and since 1986 with CEN, Grenoble. She works there as a researcher in snow modelling. Since 2004 she is head of the French Avalanche Forecasting Service. She teaches avalanche courses and is a member of the ISSW09 International Programme Advisory Board as well as a member of the Working Group of European Avalanche Forecasting Services.

Margherita Maggioni, Università di Torino, Italy
Margherita Maggioni is a physicist and her professional snow work started in 2001 with SLF. Since 2006 she has been a researcher at the University of Torino and her main fields of interest are avalanche dynamics and snow cover evolution. She is a member of the ISSW09 International Programme Advisory Board.

Betty Sovilla
, WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Switzerland
Betty Sovilla is a civil engineer and worked as a researcher with SLF since 2000. For the last three years she was head of the SLF Avalanche Dynamics Group and in charge of the large-scale avalanche dynamics test site Vallée de la Sionne, Switzerland. Previously, she also worked for the Avalanche Center at Arabba, Italy and consulted for the Italian National Electric Power Corporation.

Nina Levy, observation network SLF, Sedrun, Switzerland
Nina Levy has worked as a snow and avalanche observer for the Swiss Avalanche Forecasting Service and observation network since 1976. During the last years, she also worked as field instructor in the SLF snow and avalanche courses.


The Avalanche Divas were nominated by the ISSW organising committee, the ISSW09 International Programme Advisory Board and the previously presented Avalanche Divas.

The attendees were:

56 female snow and avalanche professionals from Europe, USA and Canada.






The sponsors were:

The third ISSW Divas Night was supported by our main sponsors WSL Diversity & Equality, Helibernina, Black Diamond, Pistil Designs and Wild Roses as well as our co-sponsors Business Professional Women, ScienceCity Davos, the American Avalanche Association and Babes in the Backcountry. Furthermore, the ISSW 2009 Organizing Committee and SLF provided financial and administrative support.







The organizers were:

Marion Berner, Cornelia Gansner, Christine Huovinen, Corina Lardelli, Birgit Ottmer, Marcia Phillips, Christine Pielmeier, Betty Sovilla and Julia Wessels from SLF, Davos.


Avalanche Divas Night at the ISSW 2009 in Davos!!!

Gruezi Avalanche Divas!

The Avalanche Divas are coming to Switzerland. The first Divas Night Out in Europe is happening at the ISSW 2009 in Davos on Monday, September 28th, 2009.

We, a group of SLF-employees, are very happy to host this event in Davos, the highest-located city in Europe.

We thank our sponsors who are very interested to support the meeting of female snow and avalanche professionals. Cheers to them!

We are looking forward to see you in Davos and to celebrate a great party:



For further information see also the ISSW website.