Last week saw avalanche training at Pond’s Lodge. Those who attended were well instructed and learned a great deal. By all accounts it was a great seminar — well worth the cost and the effort.
My concern is all those who didn’t attend. We have literally hundreds of thousands of snowmobilers pass through our area every year. Most ride the newer sleds that will get you into areas where you have no business being. I worry that they weren’t at the seminar learning how to forecast the level of danger and what to do in the event of a disaster.
In the old days you had to wait until spring to get deep into the back country. I remember going up on the back side of Lion’s Head with Bill Howell of Valley View in the early seventies. “There are only two weeks a year when you can get up here,” he said. “Too early and there’s too much powder, too late and the snow’s too mushy.” We took the hoods off the sleds to help with cooling on the warm day (remember air cooled machines?) We had a great ride on perfect snow conditions.
Fast forward to today. You can make that trip anytime there’s enough snow. Steep and deep? No problem — at least not in terms of getting there. But what about unstable snow? There are chutes up there that slide every time you turn around. Could you predict with any degree of certainty whether it was safe to ride there or not? Not if you haven’t had the class.
My suggestion is to get training, carry a shovel, carry a probe, wear a beacon, etc. I know… that stuff is always in the way and it’s expensive. My response to that is, do you know how much a funeral costs these days? What will the cost be for your loved ones? If you can afford a sled that will get you where you have no business being, you can afford the cost of beacons, shovels, probes and the rest. This is your life we’re talking about here. This is not the place to scrimp.
Get training!
0 Responses to “Avalanche Training in Island Park”