You know, I kind of figured I would receive this type of response back. And no, I wasn't there, so I am not aware of the exact conditions. If you would allow me, I can tell you some things I am aware of. In the avalanche I was caught in, the avalanche forecast for that day was Moderate. The group I was in made some giant mistakes that could have cost us dearly, including exposing more than one rider to a slope. Since then, I have taken a few courses, and learned just how bad we screwed up. But I did LEARN. I ride a lot differently now. And no, I just don't stick to the meadows. Two riders on those slopes, bad idea. You said that the one hand didn't know what the other was doing. If they are riding together, or even in a separate group, they have to know what is going on. Their lives could depend on it. There should be a discussion that takes place, whether it be on the hill or in the truck. Parking in the runout zone, another bad idea. I won't even go into terrain assessment. Personally, I would have to be very, very, confident in the snowpack to ride on those hills. I know there is risk in everything we do, especially snowmobiling. But consider a worst case scenario. If that hill slid with two riders on it, and one guy parked at the bottom, you have three possible burials. Even a very well trained and organized team would have the odds stacked against them in that situation. Thunder, I don't want you to get offended by this, or feel like I am lecturing. My purpose is to raise some awareness. Even if you bring it up to one of your riding buddies that some jacka$$ on Snowest was giving you a hard time about your video at least it might get people thinking a bit. Have a good year.
