AVALANCHE IN NORTHERN ONTARIO!!!!
- Thread starter triple650
- Start date
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snowww1
Well-known member
Great video and excellent job of getting him out. Avalanches are extremely rare in Ontario and avalanche awareness/education is not available. Eastern riders don't deal with avalanches on a regular basis and that is why they don't carry the gear.
Please save your criticism for all the western riders who still don't have avalanche gear and ride in avalanche terrain everytime they ride.
Mike Duffy
Avalanche1.com
Avalanche education for mountain riders.
Please save your criticism for all the western riders who still don't have avalanche gear and ride in avalanche terrain everytime they ride.
Mike Duffy
Avalanche1.com
Avalanche education for mountain riders.
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EagleRiverDee
Well-known member
Coming from an avy instructor that comment surprises me. So people that rarely ride avy terrain that happen to get caught in one due to poor decision making should just get a pass? We're not supposed to dissect what went wrong the way we do on all the other avy's and learn from that? We're just supposed to tell them what a great job they did?
To me, the entire point of dissecting a video like that is for people to learn, and yet a number of people have danced around the fact that some incredibly bad decision making was done there. If they hadn't made bad decisions, no one would have been caught in an avalanche. It wasn't random. Apparently since these guys are from Ontario and from the east, they're golden, but people in the west are fair game for criticism when *they* make dumb decisions? That makes no sense to me. Yes, the guys deserve kudos for what they did right, but if we can't discuss what they did wrong no one learns.
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snowww1
Well-known member
Look at the snowmobile avalanche fatalities from the eastern US and Canada, extremely rare. If you get 1 snowmobile avalanche fatality in 20 years, are you going to purchase all the avalanche gear? Are they all going to take avalanche classes when avalanches are extremely rare? Most areas don't have the snowpack that is conducive to sliding. Give these guys a break, people don't have avalanche gear in the east because avalanches aren't a problem 99.9% of the time. Certain areas have avalanche concerns, in this area it is very rare.
As an avalanche educator, I look at the practical aspect. FYI, I spent a lot of time riding in the east as a kid. We never saw avalanches and it wasn't a concern.
They don't do tornado drills in our area and I don't have a tornado shelter because they are extremely rare. Same thing with avalanches in Ontario. Other areas like New Foundland are seeing avalanches and it is now more of a concern since the new sleds are accessing more avalanche areas.
Western riders have avalanche education available to them and choose not to take classes, carry the gear or practice with it. They deal with avalanches on a daily basis. In Ontario you don't have access to the education and you don't see very many avalanches. It's the least of their concerns.
As an avalanche educator, I look at the practical aspect. FYI, I spent a lot of time riding in the east as a kid. We never saw avalanches and it wasn't a concern.
They don't do tornado drills in our area and I don't have a tornado shelter because they are extremely rare. Same thing with avalanches in Ontario. Other areas like New Foundland are seeing avalanches and it is now more of a concern since the new sleds are accessing more avalanche areas.
Western riders have avalanche education available to them and choose not to take classes, carry the gear or practice with it. They deal with avalanches on a daily basis. In Ontario you don't have access to the education and you don't see very many avalanches. It's the least of their concerns.
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EagleRiverDee
Well-known member
Not my point at all. My point is that flat landers shouldn't get a pass on gear if they are going to make the decisions to ride on hills. Whether the hill is was made by God or man doesn't make any difference. The bottom line is that this type of avalanche isn't random- it requires a slope that can slide, a weak layer in the snow pack, and a trigger. No trigger, no slide and in this instance the trigger was the rider. More to the point, I feel we're being asked not to discuss the incident beyond telling them "Great save!" because it seems critical. Not discussing what went wrong and what went right in this instance because they happen to be from back east does a disservice to everyone because there are plenty of Western riders that ride mostly flat land too and only occasionally get onto bigger slopes. The situation those guys got into could happen to anyone, anywhere. They did some things right, and some things wrong. It shouldn't be off the table just because of where they're from.
IMO, discussion is healthy and if people are going to post up videos of an avy they caused, they should expect that it will generate some discussion and debate. It can save lives and isn't that the whole point?
Well said Mike!
if you're out hunting moose and decide to walk into a cougar den, then yes you should be prepared.
i wouldn't fault them for not carrying avy gear but some education would be in order as to what an avalanche path is, even a man made one. if they choose to play on one in the future, they yes the appropriate avy gear is advised. these guys probably have road this same hill for years without incident. slides may be atypical in that region but they can happen and that slope is a slide path.
they did a great job on the rescue and extrication of the snowmobile by hand. that must have taken hours.
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suitcase
Well-known member
Not throwing stones here, But should of, could of,would of... I carry all avy gear including a abs pack, and believe that you should have a basic training in avy's. But it would of not mattered what gear they had, it would of turned out the same way. I'm just glad he came out of it alive, and will learn form what happened. I look at that hill and see the same thing alot of you did. To be real about it, I would have been right there doing the samething. Enjoying what I do!! Like stated many times above, any little hill can slide at any time. Im not going to stick to the trail just because of Avy danger when riding in the hills. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow to. Just my OP!
Great footage guys. Have fun, play safe!
Great footage guys. Have fun, play safe!
If I live in Ontario I'dd probably climb that hill also. Looks like some awesome fun. What happen, happened you can't be prepared for that especially when you don't think about avalanches in your area . Good work on the rescue.
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