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NW Glacier Cruisers and Mt. Baker Riders Thread

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He guys went to my first meeting tonight thanks to all for being so nice! I wish i knew who you all were at the meetings. You all should wear your sno-west name on a name tag. Anyway thanks and see ya on the hill!!!:)
 
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He guys went to my first meeting tonight thanks to all for being so nice! I wish i knew who you all were at the meetings. You all should wear your sno-west name on a name tag. Anyway the meeting was good i dont about that moto cross guy in the back he talks alot. And the big guy that tries to sell things during the meeting. Anyway thanks and see ya on the hill!!!:)

YOU ARE A GOD!!!!
 
_AJ_ i am not sure who you were at the meeting but sorry if i offended you. i had just read in the past that you guys have some fun saying things back and forth to each other. i was just wanting to jump in and take part in joking around i see i was taken the wrong way. Sorry if i offended you or a friend of yours.
 
_AJ_ i am not sure who you were at the meeting but sorry if i offended you. i had just read in the past that you guys have some fun saying things back and forth to each other. i was just wanting to jump in and take part in joking around i see i was taken the wrong way. Sorry if i offended you or a friend of yours.

AJ is the skinny guy that talks a lot.

Duvall Dean, You have me confused with MODSLDR, he is the one who, thru his own addmission, wears womens underwear.

Duvall, why are you picking on me? You are old enough to be my daddy, you should know better than to pick on a kid. Thanks you old butt plug
 
We had a good meeting and it was great to see some new faces. In light of the recent avy on Excelsior and the fellow riders we lost, we took a moment in thier honor.

Avalanche awareness was a major topic of discussion.

Get Beacons People.......Please

If you need one, pm me on a group buy of the new Digital BCA Tracker DTS Beacons

We talked alot about upcoming rides like the Northcross Hwy 20 ride on January 12th and what we could do as a club to help minimize risk. This will be an amazing event!!

We also coordinated ride leaders for the upcoming WSSA ride on Mt. Baker.

This is NWGC's opportunity to show off our home turf to the board members of WSSA and take them on two seperate rides. We're really looking forward to this.

Lot's of activities in the works.

If interested in planning a ride somewhere, PM me the details and I'll get them out to the membership.

We could really use some member involvement in this department.

We have more snow at Baker than anywhere in North America!!!!!

Spring Riding will be insane................. Maybe into Late June / July????

See ya all on the 12th.

SirStuckAlot volunteered to dig out any and all sleds for free that day and we really appreciate that ....lol

AJ
 
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Cle Elum Avvy Course

Yesterday the Pres, Big T, his son Zach and I all attended the WSSA avvy awareness course in Cle Elum. This was way way worth our time!

The course was 60% how to stay out of avvy danger and only 40% rescue.

The best part was about the "human elements" that play into avvy accidents and in general override our better judgement while out on the snow. For example, when riding with groups you have peer pressure to himark that hill, or the fact that all of us desire fresh untracked powder, or that we all "trophy unt" such as we just have to make it to the crater. These can all put us into situations we know we shouldn't be in.

He gave us a tool called "ALPTRUTH" which is an acronym for the conditions below. Statistically 92% of all avalanche accidents happen when 3 or more of the following exist:

A - avalanches within the last 48 hours,
L - loading by snow, rain or wind in the last 48 hours
P - Paths, avalanche paths are identifiable by a novice
T - Terrain traps, such as trees, cliffs or boulders magnify the consequences
R - Rating, a rating of considerable or higher on the avalanche forecast
U - Unstable snow. Collapsing layers (whumping sounds) or cracks are clear evidence
Th - Thaw instability, recent warming of the snow due to sun, rain or warm air

Keep these handy...if 3 or more of them are present then take caution. Doesn't mean you can't go, but adjust your plans accordingly.

Avalanche forecast can be found at http://www.nwac.us/forecasts.htm

We are also having our avalanche training course, which will be a more in-depth training than we received yesterday, on the weekend of January 25th. I will be posting an update on times and places this week, so watch for it.

Stay safe!
BroT
 
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BroT is correct. That class was awesome. Trav and I both had a course in BC two years ago and man it amazes me how much one can forget. I must be gettin old.

The course was great, the instructor was very knowledgable and the setting was great. I believe the instructors name was Michael Jackson (if you can believe that AND my memory is correct). No, not the pop star fruit cake.
WSSA is thinking about putting on another class. Sign up if you haven't already had a course. Sign up if you have.
Like Trav said, the ALPTRUTH is a great way to save your bacon.

Be safe out there everyone.

BigT
 
Great Info. I'm loooking forward to ours at Baker. I just received this from SAWS and thought it was well worth reading.



Avalanche Safety Basics


For Mountain Riders, or Those Going Into the Mountains to Ride


There is one common theme when the avalanche experts go investigate avy incidents. The responses they get almost every single time are some form of these:

"I've never seen that area slide before"

"I didn't think it would/could slide there"

"I didn't think it was steep enough to slide"

"I've been riding here for years, and never any trouble before"

"This area isn't known for avalanches"

"I saw other tracks there and thought it was safe"
Many of us never give a second thought to avalanche safety. We just assume that our lives will never be touched by an avalanche incident. This is just a delusion we create for ourselves so that we don't have to face the reality that this could happen to us, one of our friends, or a loved one. An avalanche can happen to anyone at any time. There are many ways in which we can raise our avalanche awareness and encourage our families and friends to do the same. Snowmobiling is a social sport, and if you tell others you won’t ride with them if they don’t have the proper gear and training, they will want to get it so they aren’t left out, and without anyone to ride with. Everyone who does any sort of riding in any area where avalanches are possible needs to become knowledgeable about and prepared for them. Since most of us are skilled in our chosen sport of snowmobiling but have little or no avalanche skills, trouble begins. This becomes a critical deficiency. Avalanches can happen naturally, or be caused by us. Most avalanche incidents are caused by the human factor. Modern machines can climb higher than ever before. However, there are things we can do to be safer.

The Avalanche Beacon

Purchasing an avalanche beacon is an investment in your life. There are several different brands available, such as the “Tracker”, "Pieps", “SOS”, “Pulse”, or “Ortovox”, to name a few. You need to become familiar with the use of your beacon. Just having one isn't enough! Don't get a false sense of security that just owning (or borrowing or renting) one will save you. Are your friends or family knowledgeable in their use? You can't expect to be saved or save someone else if you don't know the proper use of this valuable tool. The time to learn is not during an actual crisis where someone's life is dependent upon this knowledge. Practice is important. You have to rely on knowledge first and the equipment second. Wear your transceiver around your neck and inside your jacket. If you carry a radio, cell phone (turned off), etc., you will want to wear your beacon on the opposite side of the body from that equipment (left and right). You don't want electrical interference, which can occur with these items, to interfere with your life being saved. Make sure you have good batteries installed in your unit. After all day use for several rides, you may want to replace the batteries with new ones. You can use those other batteries in something else that doesn't have to do with saving your life. The other tools which go hand in hand with the avalanche beacons are probe poles and shovels. These items are also crucial to a successful recovery in conjunction with the transceivers. The little bit of extra weight is worth carrying. It is a far better option than the heavy weight that could live on your shoulders for the rest of your life had you needed those items and neglected to have them with you because of the few extra pounds they add. Having the proper avalanche awareness training is also key. Take a class. Just having the avalanche gear alone does not make you safe. You need to learn to read the signs that mother nature provides us, and how to stay away from high avalanche danger areas.

Some Avalanche Statistics


· There is a 92% chance of survival if the buried victim is found within 15 minutes. That drops to 30% at 35 minutes, and just 3% at a little over 2 hours.
· One half of completely buried victims die within the first half-hour.
· Only one third of avalanche victims die from trauma. The other two thirds die from suffocation.
· Only 2% of victims live long enough to die from hypothermia.
· The average avalanche burial is 4-5 feet down.
· The most common type, and the deadliest of avalanches, is the slab avalanche.


Getting Ready For and Riding

Ok, so you have your transceiver, and you have practiced its use. Now the morning of a ride arrives. Pick up your phone and call the avalanche hotline to find out what the danger in your area is and in the area you will be riding. You should do this every time before you go out for a ride. Most all areas have a number you can call for this information.

While out on your ride, pay attention and be aware of the conditions around you. Have there been recent avalanches in this area? Is the area capable of producing an avalanche? These are just a couple of the questions you need to ask yourself. Avalanches can occur on long or short slopes. A 38-degree angle is most common for avalanches. 30 degrees is barely steep enough to slide (but it still can), and seldom do slides happen above 45 degrees (the snow tends to continually sluff off by itself due to the steepness). You can purchase an inexpensive compass with an inclinometer built into it for measuring slope angles.
Practice safe riding techniques on your sled. Cross high-risk areas one at a time. That way you have lots of eyes on you should the unthinkable occur, as well as there only being one victim. It's much better to have only one victim, with many persons for a rescue, then to have several victims at the same time. If you are dropping off a ridge, the same thing applies, one at a time. You can keep an eye on the person going down before you as well as not start an avalanche above that person which could envelope both of you. If highmarking, again, it's only one at a time. Do NOT allow peer pressure to force you into doing something you are uncomfortable with. Just because your family member or friend climbed a certain spot doesn't mean that you have to do it! Don’t be afraid to speak up. If something doesn’t look or feel right to you, say so.
 
Here's the 2nd half....


Caught In an Avalanche?
If you do happen to be caught in an avalanche, fight for your life. The first thing you need to do is yell, and yell loud. You want all eyes on you for rescue purposes as well as to alert others of the danger. If possible, try to ride to the side and out of it. If you can't get off to the side, then try to outrun it, and don't be shy on the throttle. If the avalanche does overcome you, then do try to keep to the top of it. Do this with a swimming motion (if you happen to be on your back, then backstroke). Your chances of survival, when buried in 6 or more feet of snow, are almost negligible. When you feel the slide coming to a stop, try to clear your mouth of any snow that may have gotten in it. Try to create an air space if possible. Finally, try getting an arm to the surface for an indicator of where you are buried. Once things have completely stopped, you are going to be tightly packed in place, as if in cement. You have from 1 - 3 seconds before the snow sets, which isn't long to try to accomplish the above things. After everything is stopped, conserve your energy. Try NOT to panic and waste valuable oxygen and energy you will need for survival.
Witnessing an Avalanche, and Finding a Buried Victim
If you witness someone caught in an avalanche, keep your eyes on them as long as possible (make sure you are out of harms way when doing this). This will help to locate that person. Once the avalanche has stopped, don't just go off wildly. That doesn't help anyone. You need to keep calm. First, make sure it's safe, with no further avalanche danger to yourself or others, before you enter the area. You don't want yourself or anyone else to also fall victim. You want everyone in your group to stay there to help with the rescue. Don't send anyone out for help at this point. Every single person is needed for the search and digging. REMEMBER, half die within the first 30 minutes. Time is of the essence. By the time someone got out to contact an outside rescue party and that rescue party readied itself and arrived on scene, they're going to be helping dig out a dead body.
Search in an organized manner. Go to the place the person was last seen. Turn your beacons to receive. Mark this spot where the person was last seen for future reference. Search downhill from this spot. Look for clues (a hand sticking up, a glove, etc.), and leave any items such as loose gloves in place. Make sure you have your probe poles and shovels with you during your search. You don't want to waste any time. Work quickly, but efficiently. You want to be able to find that person with the first hole you dig. If there is more than one person buried, once you find the first one, you may want to just give them airspace (if they are still breathing and able to speak to you) then go on to find the second person. If you have enough people, then have one or two persons finish getting the first person completely out while the others search for the other victim. When this first person is out, turn off this person's transceiver so that it doesn't interfere with the search for others. After you have the person(s) found and dug out, then you can send someone for help if assistance is needed. If it has been approximately an hour (use judgment on this) into your search with no luck (this shouldn't happen if you have taken the time to become knowledgeable on avalanche safety and the use of your transceivers), then you can send a person out for help.
Finding More Info on Avalanche Safety and Tips
You can find more avalanche info in many other places. What I've written by no means contains all the info available. This is just meant to begin your avalanche education, to encourage you to be safe, as well as to be prepared. You can find more information out on the net. Take an avy class. There are videos that you can buy. Two videos I highly recommend are: A Dozen More Turns, and Winning The Avalanche Game. Some very good books are: Backcountry Avalanche Awareness; by Bruce Jamieson (smaller, easy to read and informative book), Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain; by Bruce Tremper (larger more in depth book), and The Avalanche Handbook; by David McClung and Peter Schaerer (this is more like a textbook and goes into great depth).
A Dozen More Turns can be purchased for $5.49 shipped at:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/dozen_more_turns_dvd.html

Or you can watch, or download it for free at:
http://revver.com/video/310519/a-dozen-more-turns/
Some other informative links:
An Avalanche Beacon Review site:
http://www.beaconreviews.com/transceivers/

Avalanche.org:
http://www.avalanche.org/

Avalanche.ca:
http://www.avalanche.ca/

Avalanche and Snow Dynamics; an Online course:
http://ocw.usu.edu/Forest__Range__and_Wildlife_Sciences/avalanche-and-snow-dynamics/Course_listing


Avalanche First Response Interactive site:
http://access.jibc.bc.ca/avalancheFirstResponse/course.htm

Beacon Searching 101, Probing 101, Shoveling 101, as well as PowerPoint Presentations: http://www.backcountryaccess.com/english/education/teaching.php

ForestServiceNationalAvalancheCenter:
http://www.fsavalanche.org/basics/sled_index.html

Training for safe travel in Avalanche Terrain:
http://www.avalanchetraining.info/

White Risk; an Interactive CD you can purchase (VERY good). Click on “E” at the top left of the page to go to English:
http://www.whiterisk.org/

Take the time to educate yourself and to practice what you learn. Encourage those with whom you ride, to become knowledgeable as well (you may have to rely on them to save your life). For all of the time and money we spend on our sleds, our lives are still the most valuable of all!!
 
I don't want any of you guys getting in one of those things......good judgement goes a long way.....thats why I get stuck in so many tree wells....if theres trees there then it don't slide there very often so I stay close to my little green friends;) In all seriousness, BE PREPARED! Looking forward to the course.


Rt
 
Just a note for anyone interested in Avalanche ABS Backpacks or Ortavox Beacons. Ive been able to get a line on them at a significant discount. I know they are extremely expensive but I think its well worth the cost of my life. I just pick up my pack yesterday.

There is no core charge for the test canister and firing handle. All warranty paperwork is filed that day and its for 4years. If you want one, give me call and Ill hook ya up with the guy and it done.

Erin
360-770-8332
 
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