Get the gear, get the training and check the avalanche forecast—that was the message that Carole Savage, snowmobile program co-ordinator at the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC), brought to mountain snowmobilers while she was on a month-and-a-half-long tour for Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) this fall.
Savage presented BRP’s Avalanche Awareness Seminars at 21 Ski-Doo dealerships across Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. The seminars were three hours long and Savage said they were designed to motivate sledders to get avalanche training.
“A lot of people have misconceptions about avalanches, what avalanche terrain is and what it is not,” said Savage. “What I try to do is give them some basics to open up their eyes that they really do need to get into a course. And then I go over the 10 Commandments of Mountain Snowmobiling—those are some really good riding practices.” (See sidebar.)
The seminars were offered free of charge, and Savage said they were well supported.
“In Red Deer, we had well over 100 people,” said Savage.
Public outreach programs—such as BRP’s Avalanche Awareness Seminars and the seminars that are offered by Yamaha Motor Company—have yielded positive results. Savage said that more snowmobilers than ever before are carrying avalanche transceivers, shovels and probes. That being said, there is still a good portion of those who ride in the mountains who have not taken an avalanche skills training course.
“If people haven’t taken a course and haven’t practised with their equipment, there is every chance in the world that they may not be using it correctly, and a course will show you how to use that equipment,” Savage said.
An avalanche skills training course also teaches sledders how to identify avalanche terrain, read snowpack and understand the avalanche bulletins posted by the CAC.
“You need to have a really good understanding of the avalanche problems, because not all avalanche problems are the same,” said Savage.
Another reason why mountain sledders need to be avalanche savvy is because snowmobiles have changed so much—even in the last year—and now stock sleds can take riders to places where yesterday’s modified sleds couldn’t go.
“Basically, we need to get our avalanche skill set up to par with the level that our technology is at,” said Savage.
At this time of year, sledders can easily get caught up in the excitement of seeing snow for the first time in six months, but it is no time to throw caution to the wind. Savage said that an avalanche can occur even if there is only a marginal amount of snow for sledding.
“One of the things that I do is really approach the terrain conservatively in early season,” she said. “When it’s early season, don’t let your guard down.”
The facts are undeniable: over the past 10 years, two recreational user groups have accounted for 70 per cent of all avalanche fatalities in Canada. Snowmobilers represented 42 per cent of the 70 per cent.
“Knowledge is power,” said Savage. “That is the biggest thing.”
With that in mind, avalanche safety begins with getting the proper gear and training and checking the avalanche bulletins before we head out.
Resources:
Canadian Avalanche Centre (Canada)
Canadian Avalanche Association (U.S.)
