Revy avalanche

[xrated]

I would agree with you, it should continue.......

It should continue with some drastic revisions:

1. People need to be forced to park and watch in safe areas. No parking and having a weiner roast in the middle of the avvy run out area. If this hill cannot accomodate the requirement, find another hill where people will be safe watching. Have people responsible for keeing people out of the run out area. Snow fence it off
2. Only one person on the hill at a time. We have seen the result of loading up a hill with machines and people countless times.
3. Everyone on the hill, participating or not, needs to give out basic information so their where abouts can be determined quickly if a slide does happen, and people dont follow the rules and are caught up in a slide
4. Heed the warnings of the avalanche center. Cancel the event if conditions are over a certain level. (Not sure what level is acceptable)
5. Have a trained avalanche professional there to perform snow testing before the event.

I am sure there are many more things that could enhance safety, please add more.......

I think by doing these things, you limit much of the risk to the actual participants. And if the participants do some of this, the risk is reduced drammatically to them as well.

Great ideas Jeff. I attended a Rally Race (guys like Ken Block, Pastrana, etc) this summer which is ran on public roads. they clear the course prior to the run and if anyone is found on it they cancel the stage and you get no racing. They have area marshals that tell people where to go and if you don't listen they don't fug around....the stage is closed so you have pissed of spectators and racers. Could be simple to do for BIS, BDSO, Yammifest, Fairview, etc as well, just takes 10 guys in vests and snow fence. And the racers, climbers agree to stop the event if spectators don't listen.

then not only are the marshals telling people to behave and get somewhere safe, but all the other people up to watch the show are gonna tell those people to fall in line. If there are 150 people and 5 don't want to stay behind the fence, well they might not listen to 1 or 2 marshals, but they are gonna think twice about pissing off 145 other people.

 

[Jaynelson]

"I'm sure he feels horrible about what happpend but silence it not the right approch in this instance."


It wouldn't matter what he said--he would be hung!

Sooner or later that slide was coming down, with or without the individual(s) who happened to be up there at the time. The big picture is that _no one_ had any business being there or hitting the big hills in the first place on that day....to bag on one guy because of the actions of many is a waste of time.

 

[Duke]

I see alot of finger pointing starting, bottom line is if you ride in avalanche terrain and dont take measures to MINIMIZE risks for yourself, group, family, etc, sooner or later it will catch up to you. Ultimately everyone on the mountain that day was responsible for their own actions. It is unfortunate it had to happen on the most controversial weekend of the year for Boulder when so many people were spectating. People have become too complacent in popular areas, Turbo Hill and Sugar Bowl are perfect examples, they are classic avalanche terrain but get overlooked because no one has seen them slide before. I have never climbed Turbo, I have always had a bad feeling about it and I thank god we chose to stay away from it that day. This unfortunate incident is a game changer if I have ever seen one, all slopes need to be treated equally no matter what riding area. This is a terrible year for avalanche conditions, there are many other ticking time bombs that are being overlooked.

 

[snowmanx]

Do I understand correctly the 2 that did not survive were both on the hill when it let loose?
Sad.....and frustrating because it could have been prevented. Hope the others heal and we can all learn from this.

No, Shay Snortland was on the hill, sledder went above him, cut the AVy loose, and the second death was from the same group and he was sitting at the bottom with everyone else.

I disagree that nobody is to blame, the guy that cut the avy loose should not have been up there, and if he was, SHOULD NEVER HAVE CUT ABOVE HIM!!!

I'm not out to hang him, or even think he should be charged, but I do believe he is responsible for Shay's death.

BTW, people do get charged all the time for making poor decisons that cause harm or death to others.(negligent homicide) I don't agree with that, and again, nor do I think that individual should be charged with anyhing, but he will have to live with it for the rest o fhis life, that he caused this.

Like I stated in a previous post, the slide was bound to happen, but it would have been better if no one was on the hill when whoever triggered it.

I don't think he is responsible for the carnage at the bottom, but for Shay's he is. Sorry if I offend anyone, it's not about asigning blame, it is fact, but he should acknowledge his responsibilty in his part in Shay's death.

Peace and prayers to the wives and children who will have to go onliving without their husband and fathers.

Speedy recovery for those that were injured, 6 in the group I would have been with.

Thank you sooooooooo much to all the sledders that reacted so quickly and saved literally scores of lives.

 

[mt.sledder]

I've rode in revy when the danger has been high. We've always tried to make good decisions and fortunately we've never had an incident. I'm not saying we've always done the right thing, just that we've never had to suffer the concequences. Yes some poor decisions were made that day and it's too bad that happened. Those same people that made those poor decisions also made a ton of great decisions after things went south and their immediate rescue effort saved a pile of lives. Now we're hearing all the comments from non-snowmobilers that the warnings were high and nobody should have been out there. I would like everyone to answer this honestly. You get up in the morning, it's storming outside so you turn on the radio, the highway report comes on and they are not recomending travel due to icy roads and reduced visibility. How many of you can honestly say you have always left your vehicle parked and never carried on with your plans of traveling? How many of you said to yourself I'll just be careful? How many of you people that are critical of what happened have never rode in a vehicle when travel is not recommended? That guy your meeting on the road isn't any different than the snow up above you, your life depends on what he or it's going to do. On the evening news later on we all hear about the 75 vehicle accidents and 2 deaths on the highways that day. Oh by the way one of the vehicle accidents was a bus load of kids going to a hockey tournament in another town, lucky for them when their bus rolled in the ditch nobody was seriously hurt. Not so fortunate for the mini van 1 mile up the road that had it's occupants killed when the truck they met lost control and hit them head on. How's this any different? People decide to take risks every day. Most the snowmobilers that ride in the mountains prepare themselves for the risks by purchasing, wearing and learning to use as much of the avaliable safety equipment they can afford. As unfortunate as this is, rest assured this incident will save lives in the future. More people will make better decisions, especially those that were there. We've all made bad decisions in the past, lets try to make better ones in the future, both on and off the mountain.

 

[snowmanx]

To my knowledge all were wearing beacons. The two casualties were found promptly and possibly died from trauma.

The digging that is seen on the news is for possible victims found by probes that were assumed not wearing beacons-It usually was a sled or backpacks. The rescue dogs never located a body. The probe line was set up in case there were victims not wearing beacons...

Good to see how well equipped Everyone was.

Correct, both were found within 15 minutes, give or take a minute or two.

 

[summit-x]

Sent you a PM.

yep thanks scott

 

[Comp 670]

I'm not out to hang him, or even think he should be charged, but I do believe he is responsible for Shay's death.

Ummmm.....Isn't Shay himself somewhat or even totally responsible for his own death because HE CHOSE to ignore all the EXTREME avy warnings posted day after day before the weekend? If HE would have not chose to be on a avy prone hill he would still be here regardless of any body elses actions.

It still comes down to the FACT that we are the ones responsible for OURSELFS.....If we make bad choices bad things happen.

Pointing fingers is going to do nothing but fuel the media hype at this point.

 

[snowmanx]

Ummmm.....Isn't Shay himself somewhat or even totally responsible for his own death because HE CHOSE to ignore all the EXTREME avy warnings posted day after day before the weekend? If HE would have not chose to be on a avy prone hill he would still be here regardless of any body elses actions.

It still comes down to the FACT that we are the ones responsible for OURSELFS.....If we make bad choices bad things happen.

Pointing fingers is going to do nothing but fuel the media hype at this point.

I also agree that he is responsible for what happened...jus saying that he did not trigger the avy that caused his death, someone else did.

I don't believe that Ozone has any responsibility in it, like said numerous times, we are all responsible for our own safety in the backcountry, but when someone makes a poor decision that has negative consequences, they are not only responsible for themseleves, but also to those who put at risk by his actions.

If I run a red light because I am not paying attention, and my friend gets killed, I am responsible, or is my friend responsible because he got into the car with my and there are inherent risks in that activity? When we make mistakes we jsut can't turn a blind eye pretend that we don't have any responsiblity in it. I also don't agree with your statement that pointing fingers(which I don't think I am doning, merely point out a fact, he made a poor judgement that had dire consequences) makes it worsed for us....in fact, I believe the opposite, digarding personaly responsibilty and blaming only the victim makes us look much worse in the public eye, like we DON'T take responsibility and we are only out to protect ourselves and our sport in spite or our decisions. Makes us look foolish.

I won't say anythng more about that aspect, again, sorry if I offended you or anyone else, it is just my opinion, I don't wish anything bad on the person who set it off, my prayers go out to him as well.

Thanks to all that were there and helped save so many lives.....snowhippy, glad you and crew are back.

 

[Comp 670]

No offence taken at all. We all have our own outlook on what happend and it's sad we are even talking about this.It was preventable and that is what makes me the most sad about the whole deal.

I bet alot of peoples riding habits are going to change after all this and at least that is something good to come from it.I am sorry to say it took being involved in a avy to change my riding habits.I went from looking for every hill to climb to looking for every meadow and tree area to ride. I still have as much or even more fun then I ever had.

We all have made mistakes in life,some bigger then others. Unfortunately thats how we learn.

 

[hatchers]

one thing that we have to remember, the avalanche did not occur at a Big Iron Shootout event. The Turbo hill climb was scheduled for Sunday. That is why there is no helicopter footage of the slide. Everyone at Turbo was there on their own.
.

its tough to filter all these posts and find the "meat".....this one is a huge deal, is the above quote really true?

from what i gathered, sledder A cut a line above sledder B that broke and killed sledder B and another guy down at the bottom, sledder A is still alive?....in short, is this what happened?

 

[M.M. 700]

I guess I can't say much that hasn't been said but. Whatever happened happened. Whoever did what, is not what the focus should be. Allthough we all can learn from this event.

Nobody there that day knew they would die or be in a situation like the tragedy that happened. In hind-sight everyone can say what should have happened at that moment. I do not know anyone that was there, but I know there was alot of knowledgeable people on that hill that day.

Bottom line I think is everyone will learn from this tragedy (I keep using that word, but don't know what else to call it). Many lives changed in that few seconds. And I pray for the ones lost, and their families-friends-even people that didn't know anyone involved, or where not even there.....it hits home with all of us. Most all of us, atleast I know I will think of the people envolved, when we are out snowmobiling in the backcountry. Even though I am not a hill climber, situation like this COULD happen and will happen.

Great job to anyone envolved!!!!!!!!!!!


BTW, when has the media ever reported anything correct? They will spin it to make news and give them something to feed off of.

 

[snowmanx]

its tough to filter all these posts and find the "meat".....this one is a huge deal, is the above quote really true?

from what i gathered, sledder A cut a line above sledder B that broke and killed sledder B and another guy down at the bottom, sledder A is still alive?....in short, is this what happened?

That is exactly what happened.

 

[MAC29]

How the best comes out

A sad day indeed. Having personal experiance in a couple of tragic events in my life i am always amazed at how the best in people come out in the worst of times. So very sorry for the affected families and a thank you to all who had the courage to stay calm and react quickly. You saved lives.

 

[sledskiing]

Edit.

I'll delete my comment because of what I read on S and M.

 

[2lo]

Prayers to all

Prayers to all sledders and families involved. I have lived through an avy aftermath for the last 6+ years. Lost best friend in 2003. Found the next day. Since that time most backcountry riders are prepared for these types of accidents. Hats off to all involved in the search and rescue.

May we all learn again to check avy sites for our local riding areas.


Lets all ride safe for the rest of the year and when we get to that last bit of powder take a moment and remember our friends and fellow sledders that are looking down on us and smiling.

 

[Shelfrost]

4.Avalanche beacons and training work ,the people involved were truly prepared with beacons and how to use them. Educate yourself in avalache dangers and how to use and have a beacon .THIS COULD SAVE YOUR BUDDIES LIFE.


!!!!!!Educate your friends in avalanche dangers and how to use and have a beacon .THIS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!

 

[partner]

Here is the lastest interview with CHBC. http://www.chbcnews.ca/video/index.html Click on the link "Mountain Ordeal" it will play when the commercial is done The one dad is still in the hospital in Kelowna. The dads are best friends. Everbody pray for him to recover.

 

[mowtainmax]

I have to say that we as sledders in B.C. should take this tragic event and not let the media misconstrue it like we have all seen them do so many times before. The fact is that many of us have been in positions where avys have occurred, the guts that it takes to band a group of relative strangers together and man up in the worst of times to save lives is a big part of what makes us sledders. I wish that was never a part of riding but unfortunately it is. We ride these mountain areas every chance we get for many years now and we all ride knowing that there is risk, so we adjust our riding to where we feel will put us less likely to have problems, come prepared and the rest is up to us. We know about the avy conditions these days, we guage those warnings and do only what were comfortable doing. Sledding is not for everyone and neither is bowling ,we like it that way and that is hard for non ridiing public to stomach with the way the sport is always portrayed. They use the term highmark like some kind of game of Russian roulette. Those news casters have no idea if they are never told, most probably dont know the difference between a spark plug and air filter, they clearly know very little about the sport. I have read many threads about avy incidents over the years but this time i felt i would chime in. The media is like a good friend who just stole your girl. If they continue to focus on what a bunch of adrenaline driven idiots we are and not what really goes on out there, our sport as we know it is doomed, they really do hold the cards right now. Has anyone ever gone to Toronto to sled. Cops, speed limits, tickets, licsences, road signs, if we dont start to change some public views thats what we have to look forward to. Many of us know what it is like to dig for a lost rider and when the media tells the whole story with a basic tone that everyone out there is crazy, it just sells the whole sport wrongly. Maybe the focus of their stories could be more educated to the real facts. Everyone on that debris pile that worked tirelessly only minutes after being run over by a wall of snow is a hero and should be proud of there efforts. Most being just regular people, not fireman or paramedics, but when the chips are down, I was not there this time, but i have seen it first hand before, those people try with all they have to save everyone who is buried. Those who make it out are forever changed, Adrenaline fueled idiots aside, I wonder how a group of golfers would react. I have never heard the media make hanggliding or parachuting sound half as foolish as as riding sled. The fact is the time has come for the media to get set straight. Oreogon Girl, I hope you can pull it off, if you can get R. Swenson to get the message to start going in the right direction right know, you could save our sport as we know it. It is horrible timing given the tragic event that has taken place this weekend, but this seems to be the only kind of story the media ever focuses on, the gov is going to do something soon and its not going to be good. Nothing can ever bring back any of our fallen brothers, RIP, but I know one who would never have wanted to see the gov. interveen and tell us when and where we can go on his account.

 

[-MKlim-]

First all I give my heart to the familys that lost loved ones in this accident...

The Media is definatly the biggest issue with this accident. Over and Over it is repeated that there is this group of EXTREME SLEDDERS that are basically in places they shouldnt be! ACTUALLY you can be a first time sledder and get a map at any of the hotels in Revy and the map will take you right to Turbo Hill. So therefor it is a hill that is clearly marked by Revelstoke Sled Assocation. They are exactly where they should be if they want to take the risks in the back country.

First off 90% of the population that was at the bottom of that hill were not EXTREME SLEDDERS. Most people were normal sledders that like to watch some of the big guys play. (its the same thing every year). and every year they hit the same hills. Drag Racing at Super Bowl and Climbing at Sugar, BullPen and Turbo. And every year the same crowd follows the racers around. When you put 200 machines in the bottom of a bowl you are guaranteed to have problems from outta controlled sleds hitting parked ones, to people getting injured, to sleds breaking down, and Now a devistating slide.

It is Very Very sad that this happened but lets get one thing clear... It was a accident.

Yes, at every hotel right beside the map their is an avalanche awarness letter telling you the risk. AND, just like most weekends from November to April the risk was Extreme.

We all ride in these conditions and we all know and understand the risks. BUT people Accidents Happens.

This is nobodys fault. If some people out there need to blame it on someone, blame it on ourselves. We choose when and when not to ride our sleds. We all take risks everyday of our lives and for some crazy reason we all love Sledding so we are all prepared to take the risks involved with the sport. If we looked at the Stats we all have much higher risk of being in a serious accident on the highway on the way to sledding then being trapped in a slide. Proven again that is a Freak accident.

And it is NO LONGER the Big Iron Shootout. And in no way shape or form is it an organized event. It hasnt been organized for a few years now. So Daves or anyone elses name should not be brought up in this. But when you have a event as great as the Big Iron it will go on forever. Every mountain sledder knows that the second weekend of march is usally a good weekend of riding. So the Retards on the TV should start with deleting the name 'Big Iron' out of there head. It was actually just a group of sledders having a good time on the hill, the same as every other weekend.

For someone on this forum to start pointing fingers and trying to blame this on the guy that cut over the guy that was stuck. (GET A FU%^K#N LIFE) Do you actually think that is nessasary at this time. Like Please!!

Most sledders including myself have lost people in sledding accidents and avalanches. Some times they are caused by stupidity, but sometimes including this time there is NO other word for what happened except for ACCIDENT.

Another thing, For the news crew to interview a 12 year old boy that was trapped ALIVE in the snow and has 40 stiches down his face is awful. He had the balls to ask him not 24hrs later "what were you thinking when you were falling with the snow". Is that a serious question??? WTF do you think he was thinking there Smart Guy. Honestly where did they find that guy. FIRED HIM.

Im sure a few people on here will bash this, and all power to you. This is the truth.


-MKlim-