Riding into snowy danger
Avalanche safety training is a critical tool for snowmobile riders, from the extreme sport enthusiast to the family rider.
Nationwide last winter, 12 snowmobile riders died in avalanches – four in Montana. That is triple the number killed backcountry skiing.
Deaths already have begun mounting again this winter.
Snowmobile riders have some unique avalanche risk-factors built into their favored sport, including speed and the amazing power and capabilities of today’s sleds that allow riders to reach altitudes and negotiate snow depths once impossible.
Every rider should carry a shovel, probe and avalanche transceiver while recognizing and compensating for risks.
Imagine flying through the winter woods, fully suited, wearing a heavy helmet and surrounded by the roar of your sled. The speed, required gear, and weight of the machine combine to make it tough for a snowmobiler to notice common avalanche warning signs, such as collapsing of the snow.
It is also difficult to communicate with fellow riders as conditions change from one area to the other.
Sled riders can adopt some simple behaviors to reduce avalanche risks inherent in the sport.
One at a time: In Montana, more than half the people killed in avalanches would be alive today if only one rider at a time was exposed on a slope.
Carry gear: If all snowmobile riders carried rescue gear and knew how to use it, the number of fatalities would be significantly reduced. There is nothing worse on an accident scene than finding someone dead from a shallow burial where a transceiver may have saved a life.
Acknowledge conditions: Learn to recognize the signs of recent avalanche activity and unstable snow conditions and avoid traveling in that terrain. Monitor avalanche forecasts.
Safety education: Avalanche training helps a snowmobile rider to make informed decisions based on real data instead of wishful thinking. Organizations frequently put on snow travel courses and seminars.
To put this training to use, informed and experienced riders must let go of common myths. They must understand that:
“They cannot expect to outrun an avalanche on a snowmobile,
“Snowmobile riders are seldom found next to their sled in an avalanche,
“Almost any slope can slide and become an avalanche.
“While sitting on a powerful snowmobile provides a false sense of invulnerability, the reality is that if you are snowmobiling in avalanche terrain you need to be prepared.
CdA training course: A free Avalanche Awareness class is set for Jan. 26-27, with an indoor seession at the Idaho Parks and Recreation regional office in Coeur d’Alene and field session at Moon Pass. Info: Marty Gangis, (208) 769-1511.
Doug Chabot is the Avalanche Center director for the Gallatin National Forest in Bozeman.