From bombs to bombillas, Snow Nomad: An Avalanche Memoir, chronicles the fifty seasons author Alan Dennis worked in the avalanche patch, travelling between Canada, New Zealand, Scotland and Argentina.

This unconventional journey on an undulating career path is one riddled with wit and wisdom he gained when plying his trade at ski resorts, mining camps, highway operations, film sets and beyond. Dennis introspectively recalls the times when he was in over his head, but learned to rely on his training, intuition and, perhaps most of all, luck.

Snow Nomad is a humble and heartfelt tribute to his family, friends and colleagues (and sometimes even foes) with who he shared these decades, whether shooting artillery in Canada’s remote reaches, scrambling up a summit in the Scottish Highlands or bunking in a mining camp in Argentina’s Andes.

Born in Malta to a British family, the son of a Royal Navy officer, Alan Dennis never predicted he’d spend five decades working in the field of avalanche safety, much less being lured back to the snow after “retiring” at age 51. He primarily worked for organizations such as the Canadian Avalanche Association and Scottish Avalanche Information Service.

After finally giving up avalanches for good, Dennis took to the water aboard his boat, S/V Griffin, named in honour of his father’s seafaring days.

Alan Dennis lives with his dog in Revelstoke, British Columbia. Snow Nomad: An Avalanche Memoir is his first and only book.