Take a deep breath......and GO!
This obviously changed the mans life, and that of his familes for a very long time, however, understanding the facts as follows:
-Non-Sanctioned "Event"
-Club did NOT endorse however were happy to charge for a sub-par trail and ridiculous parking lot/trailhead conditions
-This "event" was over and people had dispersed earlier in the day
-People gathered at Turbo like we ALWAYS do until the sun dissappears behind the mountain
-People were in a runout zone and knowing the precautions most of us take on a daily basis, everyone that was in the slide, and witnessed the slide, have said they would have done things differently that day. And hopefully they take that lesson to heart
-Some of the best riders in the world have sat at the bottom of Turbo while people climb without a second thought. World Champion Hillclimbers and Sno-Xers, industry figureheads and I was even priviledged to come across Bret Rasmussen testing '04 proto's one spring.....Sitting in the runout just like everyone else.
With these minimal FACTS as I know them, and knowing the avalanche conditions at the time, I talked my group(which included my brother, dad, and three close family friends) out of riding Boulder and driving to Malakwa and riding there. Which in turn ended up being our best day of sledding all year! However, not my point...
Infact I rode with a guy today that was at the slide, at the top of Turbo watching the action....consensus at the top of the hill was basically, "what the hell is everyone doing parking down there? Didn't they read the avy warnings?" And that conversation was repeated many times before the mountain slid.
If I led my group into the middle of that melee and (heaven forbid) someone in my group died.....I wouldn't be mad at the highmarker, or the club, or the lack of signage, I knew where, what, and how situations could have played out,
I would be blaming myself for leading my family and friends into danger. Not anyone else....it would have been MY fault, and MY conscience that would be the end of me. I simply would not, could not, sue someone for my own stupidity in leading my group into a situation like that.
ALL of my friends, sledders or not, in the slide or not, ALL agree with me.
The backcountry is a dangerous place, Turbo is Miles and Miles away from a forest service road, let alone civilization. There's signs that warn us, that tell us to be prepared, but it is up to us to adhere to those messages. If I want to take as much risk out of backcountry sledding as I can, you better believe I'm on
www.avalanche.ca, checking local weather, talking to locals, making sure I have as many bases covered as possible. And when I have family with me - just that much more of a reason to keep them as safe as one can.
Hence the reason I did not ride Boulder that weekend. I took the info given to me, assessed the situation, and made a decision to leave the area before something catastrophic happened. Luckily, I made a good arguement as all of us took time away from work to go to Revelstoke and partake in the BIS. It was a tough crowd to influence, but man am I glad I did!
Let me pose this question:
What happens if I'm found riding out of bounds? Signs are posted(As they were at the trailhead that morning - I know cause that's where I found out about the crap trail going in) Websites have co-ordinates, people can ask simple questions to the local gas clerk for heavens sake! So I get caught out of bounds and have my sled impounded and I'm given a fine. Do I sue the local club for not putting up enough signs? Do I sue the BCSF for not lobbying the GOVT for enough money to put a fence up? Do I sue my riding partner who said, "We can go down there."?
Hells no, IT'S MY RESPONSIBILTY TO KNOW WHERE I AM, THE DANGERS INVOLVED, AND ACT ACCORDINGLY.
Ignorance is no excuse....had a few cops tell me that before.....same theory applies.......either that, or I have A LOT of tickets to dispute!
I feel for the trauma this man has faced, that of his own and of his son, however claiming ignorance to the internet postings, to the website warnings, to the signage at the trailhead etc has got to be put to rest.
If your traveling in the backcountry - know how. It's pretty simple actually....know how.
If you get behind the wheel of a car, do you know the rules of the road? Do you
know how to avoid a collision? DO you know the risks? Hell - Do you know how to drive!?!?!?
I don't understand people thinking what we do is childs play - the more you know about the backcountry, the more serious it gets. Plain and simple.
I used to poke fun at my American counterparts when they would come up riding. Whenever something would go wrong, or not as planned, I would take up the fight to "sue whomever" because that's the American Way!(Tongue in cheek people, tongue in cheek!)
So to my American friends, I owe you an apoligy.
Shoulda been looking on my own side of the border apparently....
+ instead of going after the guy that set off the avi he wants money from everybody.pretty sure if i remeber right the guy that died did not set off the avi somebody cut above him while he was stuck at the top then the avi let go but i could be wrong +1 guy watching both freinds sad.
