The number of avalanche fatalities went down last season, according to the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC). The centre released its annual report for the 2012-2013 season in May. There were five fatalities in the report and one of them was snowmobile-related. That is the lowest overall number since 1984, but as far as Carole Savage is concerned, it’s still not good enough.
“We’re pleased that the numbers have dropped but when people die in the backcountry, we want to see those numbers drop to zero,” said Savage.
Savage is the snowmobile program co-ordinator for the CAC. Last season, she was involved in several public initiatives to raise awareness of the need for avalanche safety in the snowmobile community. While she is encouraged by the statistic, Savage was quick to point out that it likely does not tell the whole story.
“We don’t know the whole level of backcountry use,” said Savage. “We don’t know about the near-misses, accidents and those sorts of things but we do know that backcountry use is on the rise.”
Savage is seeing an increased level of safety awareness among snowmobilers but she said we still have a way to go.
“We are a very fast-growing winter sport,” she said. “We have people entering the sport that have never been on a snowmobile before and, let’s face it, the technology of the sleds is so amazing. So the goal is to get our avalanche awareness, our knowledge, up to the same level as that technology. Am I seeing a greater level of awareness? Absolutely.”
The CAC’s main message to snowmobilers is to get the gear, get the training and check the avalanche bulletins. Once you have the training, it’s important to use it and build upon it.
“If you have an Avalanche Skills Training Level 1, get more training,” said Savage. “The Avalanche Skills Training 2 course is a great opportunity to learn more about terrain and snowpack and just keep building on that. And make sure your equipment is functional and the best you can get and keep practising with it.”
Looking ahead
This season, the CAC will be entering the final year of its three-year Mountain Snowmobile Education Project. One result of the project is a new educational video called Throttle Decisions. Filming for the video began last winter. The video, which is coming out this fall, will be produced in short 10- to 15-minute modules and each module is tailored for different audiences. For example, one of the modules is youth-specific. For a sneak peek at the Throttle Decisions video, check out the teaser on Vimeo.
The CAC has also released a new CAC Mobile App so that smartphone users can get the most accurate information on avalanche conditions. Last season, the CAC saw an increase in the number of mobile users visiting its website as well as an increase in its Facebook fanbase.
Savage spent some of her time during the 2012-2013 season in Northern B.C., gathering information for the CAC’s North Rockies Pilot Program.
“Our goal was to come up with some options for how we can possibly provide a better (avalanche) forecast in the future for that area,” said Savage. “We have had a very good experience with our field trips up there. The communities in the North Rockies were very helpful, generous and willing to do what they can to help us out and it was great to be up there on and off throughout the winter.”
Avalanche forecasters rely on data from commercial operations, such as heli-skiing companies, as well as the Ministry of Transportation, to formulate accurate forecasts. Savage said because the North Rockies is such a vast region—encompassing 45,165 kilometres—the data is hard to locate.
According to the CAC, backcountry users in the North Rockies region are almost exclusively mountain sledders. Before the CAC can move ahead on the project, it needs to secure sustainable funding.
The CAC is obviously doing its part to create a culture of safety among snowmobilers but it’s up to us as individuals to help it grow.
There are organizations like the CAC that can lead, Savage said, but the way it is done is by getting buy-in from the stakeholders—that’s what you need for any program to be effective—and the snowmobile community seems to be buying into it. She concluded by saying that it's good for the sport, the industry and public safety.
The CAC is a non-profit organization based in Revelstoke, B.C. For more information, see the website.
