About Us
Photo: Ming Poon
Our Mission
Strategic Pillars
Strategic Pillar 1: Everyone who wants to partake in winter backcountry adventures has the opportunity and access to do so in a sustainable way.
- Create three new winter access trailheads with free parking by 2028.
- Fund and support previous projects, ensuring continued positive community involvement and public access (i.e., Donner Lake Run/West End Parking)
- Partner with local organizations to ensure public access to popular recreation destinations (i.e., Johnson Canyon plowing)
- Recruit and cultivate diverse leadership: board, volunteers, etc.
- Implement a gear library for underserved local youth to utilize free of charge.
- Maintain and expand program with the Washoe Tribe and their Youth Expedition Program
- Create a trailhead adoption program to help manage waste at high traffic trailheads.
Strategic Pillar 2: The vast majority of groups visiting the backcountry use a public or car pooling option to access trailheads.
- TBA will promote recreational microtransit as one of the solutions that will alleviate congestion at winter backcountry trailheads.
- Work with local policymakers and land managers to facilitate the development of public transportation and carpooling infrastructure that is specifically designed for winter recreation access.
- Work with local governments to create three park & ride lots that are used for winter recreation. These lots can be used for both, parking to carpool and as pick up/drop off locations for microtransit.
- Develop incentives for winter recreationists to use public transportation, carpooling or microtransit options to get to winter recreation trailheads. Potential programs include happy hour after the tour and raffles.
Strategic Pillar 3: Ensure long-term financial sustainability for TBA
- Every backcountry user is a paying TBA member.
Take the lead on producing winter recreation economic impact reports, including both visitors and residents. - >50% of all income generated from public sources.
- Develop business membership that brings in $20,000 per year.
- Develop fundraising partners.
- Increase revenue from diverse funding sources
Board of Directors
Anne Rarick
President
Anthony Cupaiuolo
Executive Director
Justin Peverini
Vice President
Geoff Quine
Rich Meyer
Ali Agee
Treasurer
Ali is an Avalanche Educator and Backcountry Ski Guide based out of Truckee, CA. She grew up in the Reno/Tahoe area and has always had a strong passion for moving through these mountains. While in school, she obtained her Master’s Degree in Accounting as well as her CPA License, and found herself working for a top accounting firm before moving back to Tahoe. She continued to work in accounting as she began to take Ski Guide Courses through the American Mountain Guides Association as well as professional level avalanche courses, and soon enough, entered the guiding world full time – a perfect outlet to share her passion and expertise by educating backcountry users about critical issues affecting winter backcountry recreation. As the Treasurer of the TBA, she is able to combine her background in accounting with her love for backcountry skiing to help preserve and expand winter access to the places that stoke our souls!
Glen Poulsen
With a 75 year family legacy of advocating for environmental responsibility in the development of winter sports, Glen Poulsen continues to play an active role in promoting sustainable alternatives in winter recreation. A veteran of ski exploration on seven continents, Glen joins the Alliance with a valuable and pragmatic perspective born of years of passion, play and work in all aspects of human powered winter sport around the globe.
Greg Garrison
Having sent the last 10 years working as a Watershed Restoration Engineer throughout Northern California, Greg Garrison and family have landed in the Tahoe Basin. Greg has joined the Tahoe Backcountry Alliance with the goal of improving and preserving winter recreation access for future generations.
Ming Poon
Ming Poon is an adventure sports photographer/director of photography based in Lake Tahoe, California. Passionate about outdoor pursuits, travel and making a difference, Ming is inspired by culture, nature, music, friends and family. Ming’s work has been featured in Teton Gravity Research, Powder Magazine, Backcountry Magazine, Matchstick Productions, Standup Journal, ROAM, Ascent Backcountry Journal, Vermont Life Magazine and a variety of others throughout the globe. His images have also appeared in international commercial campaigns for O’Neill, Jones Snowboards, POC Sports, NOW Bindings, Hestra Gloves, Intuition Liners, Leki Poles and more.
David Anhalt
David works for Peak Design, a company that makes travel and photography gear based out of San Francisco, and also runs the Tahoe Mill Collective, a co-working space with locations in Alpine Meadows and Tahoe City. He can often be found mountain biking in the summer and skiing in the winter with his wife, Molly, daughter Maddie, and dog, Yuki, out of their home in Alpine Meadows. David’s enthusiasm for backcountry travel and exploration brought him to the Tahoe Backcountry Alliance to help protect and educate people about the wild places we all love.
