Avy deaths are sealing our fate!

[suitcase]

Everytime someone is lost in an Avalanche I feel saddened by the event. No one should be left with out a parent, friend, spouse...... so on. We love our sport so much that we travel and ride in dangerous country. Sometimes on a trail, sometimes in the hard to reach backcountry. But we live to ride into these places so we can take in a view that other people only dream about.
As I flip threw the SW Fourms and see so many post of Avy deaths that have hit the mainstream news. How are they getting this info so fast, (from Avy centers?). Then the interviews with the friends and family members, which is heart felt and makes me sad. Which is the reason the news likes to interview the people that have just lost someone close to them.
By having the deaths of snowmobilers be so public it leaves the door wide open for more groups to gather ammo against snowmobiling in the back country. Just as stated in this interview by a hard core snowmobiler, we should not be let into the mountains right now. I will almost bet. you will see that quote come back to bite us in the butt.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp=46644394&#46644394 This will be there way to burrow in deeper. And this is the best way to do it, use the bleding hearts so they can protect us!!!

What to do to help this from happening? Get as much Avy training as you can afford, also don't give the public interviews to the news. Just my two Penny's
This post no way ment to upset any snowmobiler or any friend or family member of someone how has lost a loved one in an avy.

 

[Racer220]

I'm right there with you suitcase. Ironically, right when I got off work my mom called. "Hey, go turn on NBC and watch this special about an avalanche rescue."

I don't know why, but my instant response was, "No, I am sick and tired of watching clips of people being buried in avalanches this year. I have seen (like 30) already this winter and I just don't feel like watching another one." It was kind of silent for a second and then we went on talking about other stuff.

I definitely DO NOT like the mass media coverage that these incidents have gotten this year. As you said above, it's going to eventually come back as another critical hit to the sport. I absolutely cringed when that guy said that nobody should be allowed in the mountains rights now.............

Live to ride, Ride to live folks... It's pretty dam simple this year.

 

[estaked]

Just my two cents.

I agree that it could be bad for the instances that you say.

The good part is that maybe more people will realize the danger of mountain snowmobiling and take better precautions to prevent these from happening.

Increasing information is gonna be good, make people think twice or take an avy class. I just hope it will help people be safer.

 

[POLZIN]

I dont have a clue what we can do to keep people who ride next to recent slides without avy gear from being on the news.

 

[TIM]

all deaths suck. But i bet the amount of sledders that die every year falling thru the ice is 3 times the amount of avy deaths. I would also bet the amount of deaths that occur to due to alcohol far exceed the avy deaths. But the avy deaths make good film. Unfortunately it is part of the sport, especially if you push it. I would also bet that more people die in a car wreck going to and from the trailhead. Lets keep it all in perspective.

 

[snowmobiler]

i dont think what that young pup said will close anything.
hes a hero for saving his bud under 10 ft.

 

[bdubs]

The problem at hand is all the go pros/contours out there capturing every little thing that occurs. Half that sh!t being captured does not need to be shared beyond ones circle. Avy awareness is one thing, hey look at me is another...

 

[03RMK800]

In Colorado, this has been a typical year. There have been several times the number of skier deaths (both all causes and avalanche counting both ski area and out of ski area) as there have been snowmobiler deaths (all causes including avalanche).
Its fascinating how those who think they have the right to decide for everyone else will call for the end of, say, hunting or snowmobiling when there is A fatality, but we never hear requests for closures ski areas or open skiing terrain.

 

[suitcase]

In Colorado, this has been a typical year. There have been several times the number of skier deaths (both all causes and avalanche counting both ski area and out of ski area) as there have been snowmobiler deaths (all causes including avalanche).
Its fascinating how those who think they have the right to decide for everyone else will call for the end of, say, hunting or snowmobiling when there is A fatality, but we never hear requests for closures ski areas or open skiing terrain.

One of my main points 03RMK! It seems that for the skiing end of the things its OK because that is what they do. But those same people don't use or like snowmobiles so they are all for ""protecting us""!! I can hear it now!!!!
I for one, would no more be for closing ski area because of Avy deaths than the man on the moon!

Sorry folks, kind of a bumer topic. But I think this will come out sooner or later..

 

[bholmlate]

lets face it guys. we now live in a society that is geared around social media and things like this are going to get covered more and more. As bdubs said with all the personal video cameras, picture phones, and the "look at me" mentality, coverage of things like this will only increase in the future.
<O</O
I believe all this publicizing of the tragedies along with an occasionally miracle are a double edge sword. On the one hand it does shed a bad light on the inherent dangers of back country snowmobiling / skiing as sports in general. On the other hand though we can use them, as Suitcase has suggested, to promote the positive idea of getting proper training that no doubt can save your life in most of these situations. Of course it would be false to say that proper training would have made a difference in the worst cases.<O</O

It seems to be human nature to put the idea, what we do to have fun is in any way remotely dangerous to our well being, out of our minds. Seasons like the one we are having this year certainly bring all the inherent dangers of the sport to the fore front once again making us all a little uncomfortable.

<O</OIn any situation you can choose to look at either the positives or the negatives. in most of the tragic cases of lost loved ones. May they Rest in Peace it is definitely tough to look for anything positive. However, if only one person sees one of these events unfold and decides to get the proper training, to me that would be positive in my book. We also all need to get more involved in the promotion of this great sport through local clubs and things like that rather then sitting back on our couches watching and complaining about our favorite riding areas being closed by people who take these tragedies and use them against us in the court of public opinion.<O</O
<O</O

Just my .01 cents At the moment i cant afford to give 02 cents worth =)<O</O

 

[joel97mustang]

Avy Deaths

Not many are going to like this but suck it up. Avy deaths comes with the territory. I'm I afraid every time I go out. Will it stop me from snowmobiling, NOPE!(i.e.) Last year I crashed into a 60ft crevasse in a whiteout.

I would rather die snowmobiling then in Iraq, hooked up to a ventilator, cancer, old age or some meaningless, senseless act of violence.

I have expressly told my wife that if I die snowmobiling, that under no circumstances would I ever want her to bad mouth snowmobiling in a media interview. She knows how much the mountains mean to me.

If you are really concerned about avalanche risk buy some life insurance for your family, get avy training, buy an avy pack and be as safe as possible. What else can you do? Pray?

We all die sometime. When your # is up that's it. It's sad but that's life.

Enjoy it while you can.

 

[Hardass]

This is not sealing our fate. Whats sealing our fate is lack of money to fight whats happening. If you think for one minute that loss of life is it your dead wrong. You know how many things i have heard are sealing our fate? a bunch from animals to this. Fact is were not (as snowmobilers) willing to fight this with real world money . Maybe we do not have enough people in the sledding industry to give enough money to fight it. Fact is it's the money that could saves us but i do not beleive its going to happen.. Ride while you can , obviously you can see where it's heading.

 

[GrizTrack]

Call me what you want, but I'd rather ride the trees, meadows, and rolling hills than not come home to my kids and wife. That has meant I ride a lot less because I have no desire to be the big boy on the hill. Most have never seen a 30 foot wall of snow swallow up your buddy and chase another...leaving you wonder are you looking for two bodies or one. Fortunately we all came off the hill that day, it doesn't always work that way.

My favorite quote is....that hill never slides...

 

[spikeydave]

Call me what you want, but I'd rather ride the trees, meadows, and rolling hills than not come home to my kids and wife. That has meant I ride a lot less because I have no desire to be the big boy on the hill. Most have never seen a 30 foot wall of snow swallow up your buddy and chase another...leaving you wonder are you looking for two bodies or one. Fortunately we all came off the hill that day, it doesn't always work that way.

My favorite quote is....that hill never slides...

I do not fully see your point, the areas you are riding are just as apt to slide as anywhere under the right conditions but people have the false sense of security that they are riding in safe areas. It all comes down to training and responsibility of ones actions. Under these circumstances the avy conditions are extremely high and extra caution should be taken with avy test pits dug to check snow conditions and riding in safer areas. We all have to take extra caution while riding in the back country and we should all take the time to educate ourselves and get some training to identify all aspects of avalanche dangers and to identify where and where not to ride on that particular outing. On a good note I believe that there have been fewer avalanche encounters because people are taking the time to complete avy courses and identify the risks on that particular day and stay away from higher risk areas. We all need to focus our energy on the positive and reflect on the negative so we can put it to good use and learn from it.

Cheers and safe riding.

 

[Bendy]

Avys are FACT!

I understand this young man was just in a very serious life or death scenario... but, why would you say that! I agree, they're gonna make it harder for us to be Mountain Riders! Three people I rode with have parished in Avys. My Family understands the risks. I would be on the couch "dead" already if I couldn't ride the Rockies. My family wouldn't be interviewed if I died. And if I was asked when my Buddies were killed, I would decline. What is there to describe other than its haunting. Its not like we are getting training from hearing these interviews, they're useless.

 

[Bendy]

Yes...

when the risk is HIGHER than likely, we stick to the trees. Thats why we don't want to get shut down. There is ALWAYS a possibility of the worst, thats why we train and prepare... hence the term EXTREME SPORT.

 

[Bendy]

And...

It isn't about being the best on the Mountain too me, I spend most of my time in the Meadows. I can't remember the last time I climbed something I couldn't go over. It doesn't mean I will never be killed in an Avy!

 

[Mafesto]

We will always have avy fatalities.
It's simply an expense of mountain riding.
This sport is a prime example of risk vs reward.....The biggest thrills go hand in hand with greater risks, and we knowingly accept this.
Come to think about it pretty much everything in life falls into the risk vs reward thing.

 

[judger101]

yes there are avy deaths, but hey you could walk outside and get hit by a vehicle and die too. people can spin anything into anything if they want to.