Backcountry Access, Inc. appointed Dieter Stopper as the company’s Technical Director for the European market. He is the newest addition to BCA’s continuing educational initiatives, adding another level of expertise to the company’s growing educational and marketing presence in Europe.


Stopper, 40, is a certified UIAGM guide living in Murnau am Staffelsee, Germany. He is the former director of research for the German Alpine Club (DAV), the world’s largest alpine organization. Stopper is well-known in Europe for his cutting-edge research on avalanche rescue techniques, regularly published in the DAV publication, Panorama. Stopper’s responsibilities will include representing BCA at all relevant European technical events, reviewing all BCA educational materials, creating and producing a European “education tour,” managing European pro and media relationships, and training BCA’s European distributors.


“Dieter is one of the most influential and progressive thinkers in the European snow safety community,” said Bruce Edgerly, BCA’s vice president of marketing. “He’s an elite mountaineer and guide, but is very in touch with the needs of the ground-level recreationist. He’s a perfect fit and we’re psyched to have him on board.”