Revy avalanche

[zacs]

Hope you don't mind.
I have reposted this from a Snowandmud.com thread.

Great post, and I agree, but what to do to start 'banding together' in this ongoing battle. I do not ask this in a disrespectful way, truly looking to help and try to become part of the solution. I agree, Im tired of talking about it, more than enough has been said, there are many different opinions but I think in the end all any of us want is to never see this happen again...

I am on board 100% to do whatever small part I can play, just dont know what that is...

Yep, me again...as we have been on this bandwagon a long time here are some of our thoughts.

Feedback is certainly welcome. Cost vs. benefit....which ideas might be the most effective?

Yes, I am an avalanche instructor, however my passion comes from being a snowmobiler that wants unregulated access to the backcountry and from being a sappy mom and wife that wants return trips for all sledders. Anyone that has attended our programs would probably agree...(on the sappy part at least!)
Education and better access to resources won't lead to zero deaths, but it can't hurt to try. Pretty small investment for our community that has the potential for a pretty big gain.

Support Candles to Remember.
Follow this link:Candles to Remember
This is a fundraiser initiated by Sherry Waldroff (Beck). Sherry lost her father and a close friend in two separate avalanches last season. Funds raised will go to the Canadian Avalanche Center (CAC) to support snowmobile specific programs.

ACT QUICKLY as this fundraiser wraps up on March 26, 2010.​

Purchase candles or forward cash donations. Be sure to designate your donations under your local snowmobile club or dealership or as a Snowandmud member. There are prizes for the group that raises the most money.

Businesses and individuals can donate to the Canadian Avalanche Foundation and receive a tax deductible receipt.
Canadian Avalanche Foundation

Encourage local dealers and manufacturers to support the Canadian Avalanche Center. The CAC is a non-profit that relies on donations to top up the funds it receives from the Federal and Provincial gov'ts that support them. The CAC is seriously underfunded right now.

Impress upon your MLA or MP the importance of increased Fed. and Prov. support to the CAC. The CAC office is overloaded and understaffed to develop and deliver the programming that they are capable of. They are awesome people with huge hearts and lots of great ideas that simply don't have the resources to do more.

Encourage dealer and manufacturer support of local avy classes. Some dealers and clubs that we worked with last season helped to advertise and promote the courses, offered classroom space for free, offered course discounts or money cards to the participants.

Encourage dealers to send staff to avy classes...even if they aren't sledders. Snowmobile sales and service staff are in a great position to communicate the value of avy training. Besides, wouldn't you rather buy avy equipment from someone who actually knows how to use it?!

Encourage dealers and clubs to display Avy brochures and Course Schedules in their shops, cabins and trailbooths. These are available from the CAC or your local avy instructors.

Encourage dealers, hotels and snowmobile clubs to post the CAC Avalanche Bulletins and brochures on a regular basis.

Encourage snowmobile clubs to do a beacon check of all sledders heading up the trail. Every little opportunity to educate unaware riders is important.

Encourage sledders to access avalanche training classes that include a hands-on field component. Hands-on training is needed to really 'get it'. Sticking your nose in the snow, checking out terrain and completing rescue scenarios with your riding group is key.

Stay current with refreshers and advanced avy classes. Techniques change and avy resources change...stay current. And the USE IT! Awareness is one thing, implementing it is another. Truly, small changes in our riding habits can may HUGE changes in the level of risk that we need to expose ourselves to.
Upcoming programs that I am familiar with:
AST 1
AST 2
Other instructors that work with sledders.

Before heading up the trail head or when grouping up with some new riders, ALWAYS do a beacon check. Make a different group member do it each time. You'd be surprised how many guys will have trouble getting their beacon into search mode.

During lunch, or while waiting for white-out conditions to clear, take advantage of the downtime and bury a few beacons to test your friends.

Pass this link around to snowmobilers that are looking for more avy websites and online resources.
Links to avy info

Consider signing up for Zac's newsletters. Check out some of the archived issues and sign up if you find them useful.
Zac's Tracs newsletters

Share photos with the CAC or avy instructors. Snowmobile terrain (simple, challenging, complex...all kinds of riding areas. These pics do not need to include avalanches.)
Also send photos of recent avys, wind effects, unusual weather or snow conditions...
Sled specific photos improve courses and teaching materials for everyone.
Send pics to Lori's Email
Send pics to the CAC Forecasters
Post these photos on the forums as well. Be sure to include a short description. Leave out the names if you want to protect your secret riding areas!

Sign up as a Facebook fan
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www.avalanche.ca/sled - Facebook
We haven't quite gotten the handle on Facebook yet...but I'm sure my 10 y.o. daughter will catch me up to speed over the summer!

 

[flying frenchman]

Another avalanche today Eagle pass west of revelstoke . 1 deceased , 1 injured , 6 to 8 unaccounted for. This climbing has to stay in the medows and away from big hill. Catagory 4 avalanche, THIS IS A BIG AVALANCHE. Prayers to those involved. R.I.P.

 

[CatWoman]

Thread here.

A guy who was there reported in.

 

[Pit Crew]

tic tock, tick tock....our sledding days are numbered!!!

 

[bigbull]

First off, I am so sorry for your loss Jeff K. Please understand my following post means nothing personal whatsoever.

That will be the last straw for BC. One, because it is so close in proximity to the event at Turbo (you can actually get to Eagles Pass from Turbo if the snow is good and you know how), two, because the timeline is so close and avy conditions have not changed, three, because of all the negative press associated with the events, recent past and now, four, because this has been discussed in Parliament already and letters to officials in most branches of the Ministry have been sent and received from sit on their asz do gooders all week asking for backcountry regulations to be created to keep us off the snow PERIOD when conditions are above considerable (most of the fricking season).

I feel horrible for the person's family and friends whose life was lost and those injured in the accident, I claim to know nothing of the circumstances involved. What I do know, is that this tragic occurrence will forever change the way we ride in the backcountry in Canada. It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots here.

I am so disappointed with all of it, the events, the death, the injuries. I sent a text to all my riding buds telling them how I was done for the year on big rides because of the events at Revy, and the personal experience I had there myself a while back. Please, if you choose to ride anymore this year, be smart, dont push it or expect that where you are riding is "an acceptable risk", for your families sake, your friends, your riding buddies, and, in the long run, all of us.
BB

 

[summit-x]

godbless. never forgotton

 

[gatekeeper]

Avalanche courses should be held more often and held with-in the towns of the popular snowmobile trails.

At this time especially with the media hype about the out of control snowmobiling crowd this would be a good time to start.
Otherwise if this accident spree continues then the government may seize the moment.

The real problem in many cases in my opinion is not the lack of avy training but more of a lack of thought. Kinda like gettin a dick on creating a no turning back point...sort of speak.

 

[columbus]

Below is copied from CTV Vancouver

Greg Johnson, a forecaster with the Canadian Avalanche Centre said both slides this month were entirely avoidable.

"There were people hill climbing with their snowmobiles above other people," he said. "They triggered avalanches and the avalanches hit people below."

"There's large groups of people going out there and they're exposing themselves all at once to avalanche terrain and if somebody triggers an avalanche and it hits them then they all get in trouble."

What part of one at a time do people not understand??? I was out riding today (In BC) and still saw people in questionable areas riding on top of eachother. Cmon folks...

 

[valerie]

The word is Ozone was NOT at Turbo when the slide occured. I agree we should not be pointing fingers.

Doc's wife Nell

news flash.. ozone was at the hill. members of search and rescue tried to get his help in the search. but he wouldnt even stick around to do that, He was white as a ghost, turned tail and fled the scene. hasnt been heard from since.

 

[Insaneboltrounder/sjohns]

Interesting , man that idiot really is a prize isnt he. I read what veedy said about him pushing ppl to head to turbo even after they told him it wasnt safe.

On another thought. Why when there was many killed when skiing a few years ago , wasnt there a huge uproar like we are now seeing sledding now?????????????????

 

[Pinner]

news flash.. ozone was at the hill.

Somewhere in this thread an eyewitness said ozone showed up after the slide waving the flag not realizing what had happened.

members of search and rescue tried to get his help in the search. but he wouldn't even stick around to do that, He was white as a ghost, turned tail and fled the scene. hasn't been heard from since.

That sounds like shock, not exactly a character flaw.

I'm not really defending Ozone, just trying to keep people from lynching him.

 

[0007]

Another avy?
Anyone hear of another avy involving 2 ski'ers in or near wells grey

Sad, I never heard the heli operation but it probably is Weigele

 

[CatWoman]

Thread here. Heli-skiers this time. Another death

 

[Pinner]

I think the operator was CMH out of Valemont.

2 deaths, there is an active tread over at Snow & Mud.

 

[Bobsledder]

Somewhere in this thread an eyewitness said ozone showed up after the slide waving the flag not realizing what had happened.




That sounds like shock, not exactly a character flaw.

I'm not really defending Ozone, just trying to keep people from lynching him.

Others were in shock, but pitched in to help as directed by those who took charge!
If some one turns and runs I wouldn't call it a character flaw, just a true indication of character.

 

[Pinner]

Look I don't really care what anyone thinks of Ozone but I have seen people in shock that resembled zombies, it happens, the other poster said he was as white as a ghost...

It's clear to me Ozone is being targeted as a Scape Goat, really, what was soo terrible that he did ? I'm sure he just wanted everyone to have a good time...

Or you think he orchestrated this disaster for his own evil, personal gains? bah haha...

Give the guy a break, do onto others...

 

[Bobsledder]

Look I don't really care what anyone thinks of Ozone but I have seen people in shock that resembled zombies, it happens, the other poster said he was as white as a ghost...

It's clear to me Ozone is being targeted as a Scape Goat, really, what was soo terrible that he did ? I'm sure he just wanted everyone to have a good time...

Or you think he orchestrated this disaster for his own evil, personal gains? bah haha...

Give the guy a break, do onto others...

Give the guy a break, do onto others... Good point

Fair enough, "he was white as a ghost" and perhaps just couldn't function so we should give him a break.
I don't want to see him as a scapegoat and am sure he isn't feeling good about what happened. The RCMP'made a statement that they see this as an organized event and want to speak to the organizers but wouldn't speculate who they believe the organizers are. My take on that is it is more than one person in their opinion.
The media in Calgary has been using his name a lot, visiting his house and were at his store in Market Mall when I walked by the other day.

 

[hivoltagesledhead]

Well then...where is he? he should just come out of the woodwork and clear the air.

 

[smokindave]

How can Ozone be held responsible.The events for the day were over,period.

No one was forced into competing or watching the BIS,it was a choice made by all there that know the risks with being in the backcountry.

Its kind of strange that after a avy near Valemount with three heli-skiers getting burried,with two beening fatalities,that the operator of that operation has not been named in the media.
Will criminal charges be threatened or brought against them.

 

[smokindave]

Well then...where is he? he should just come out of the woodwork and clear the air.

What good is his coming out of the woodwork going to do,confirm that the days events were in fact over.