The Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) is counting on social media to spread the word about potentially hazardous areas, giving every sledder the opportunity to provide vital information to his or her community.
CAC spokesperson, John Kelly, said using Twitter and Facebook will allow avalanche forecasters to get real-time information to sledders already on the trails, especially as more snowmobilers take mobile devices along for the ride.
“I do know many sledders who are avid technology users and are well equipped with iPhones or SmartPhones and GPS’s,” said Kelly. “There’s a component of sledders that are very tech savvy and of all the user groups, (the largest) is among mountain sledders.”
The on-the-ground, up-to-the-minute information from sledders in trouble spots gives the CAC the ability to communicate immediately with other snowmobilers in the area. If riders notice avalanche conditions, they can tweet directly to CAC’s twitter feed, which will then be broadcast to all of their followers. Kelly said that uploading photos to Twitter is also a great way to get instant feedback about a potential avalanche zone.
The CAC is encouraged by the increasing awareness of avalanche safety. Kelly said it’s a conversation that more backcountry users are having before heading out, which in turn will save lives.
“If you go onto snowandmud.com or snoriderswest.com or any of the major forums, there are lots of posts that refer to the Canadian Avalanche Centre and the CAC bulletins and people using them as awareness tools,” he said.
Along with knowing where the avalanche hot spots are, the CAC also wants to get the message out that preparedness is essential to safety.
“There are three components to your preparation,” said Kelly, “having avalanche training, consulting the avalanche bulletin before you go, and practising with your rescue gear and making sure you’re completely up to date.”
You can follow CAC bulletins by going to www.avalanche.ca.
