Team 57, our riding group, had an avalanche scare this weekend and I thought I would share the events that took place that caused the avalanche and also saved a life. I am not trying to pin any blame on anyone but to raise awareness because there were several of us that were unprepared including myself.
It was the first ride of the year for most of us. We were trying to get some miles on our new sleds and break them in. McCall has received some snow in the higher elevations the last few nights and we wanted to take advantage of it. I was an idiot leaving the pickup thinking "this will just be a road ride" and didn't bring my avalanche beacon. My girl friend bought batteries for her's but decided not to bring it as well. I know that there were several others in our group that didn't bring theirs either. We did have shovels but did not bring avalanche probes either.
So after several hours of riding in meadows and playing on small hills, our group of about 25 riders decided to head through the fog over to Duck Lake and Black Dog Valley, or at least that's what I think it's called. We found a good pocket of powder and a hill climb about 200 feet from the chute that Matt Potratz got buried on a few years ago. Several guys in the group began to make runs at the hill trying to break over the top. I was talking to one of the guys in our group while sitting at the bottom and you could see breaks in the snow along the cliffs where avalanches had occurred previously so we knew the snow was unstable. This should have been our first red flag.
After a few minutes, one rider was about two thirds of the way to the top of the hill slowly climbing through the deep snow ascending upward. Another rider on a turbo sled was making an ascent too and passed the first rider breaking over the top of the hill at a high rate of speed. Both riders saw the snow start to break as they were reaching the upper portion of the hill. The turbo sled was able to power through the beginning of the avalanche and make it over the top. The first rider was not so fortunate.
I was watching from the bottom and saw the top of the hill break loose. The crack at the top of the avalanche was about 2 feet deep. I kept my eye on the snowmobile as the avalanche carried it down the hill but I could not see the rider. I fired up my sled and quickly got to a safe distance at the bottom of the hill to wait for the avalanche to settle all the time keeping my eyes on the sled coming down the hill. As soon as the snow settled I rode quickly up the hill to where the sled stopped so I could start looking for the rider. About 10 other guys in our group followed me.
I stood there for a few seconds surveying the slide while trying to get my shovel and gear out. The only part of the buried snowmobile that was showing was the rear bumper. Talk about feeling lost. No beacon or probe. I saw no signs of the buried rider. The next guy who came up the hill to meet me didn't have a beacon either. Luckily there were a lot of riders in our group that were prepared. They quickly responded with their beacons and probes. About 3 minutes had elapsed now since the avalanche first started. One rider with a beacon quickly narrowed down the area of the buried rider and we began to probe for him while others began to dig. We quickly found his leg and began to excavate the rest of his body. Everyone kept a very level head and worked together quickly and efficiently to safely remove the rider from the snow. Once his head was uncovered I could clearly see his face. His skin color was blue and I saw no movement at all. The only thing I could think of was that we were too late.
We made sure that his mouth was free of snow and started to check for vital functions. His eyelids began to twitch. We started to talk to him while others dug to free him. He began responding to our questions and then began to move his arm and free leg. We kept him stable until he was completely free from being buried. He was talking, could feel all his body parts, and was able to move all his body parts so we allowed him to get up. From the time the avalanche started to the time he was freed felt like an eternity. It was less than 10 minutes. I believe that if we were 2 minutes later in responding the outcome wouldn't have been the same. The rider sustained no serious injuries. He was just a little sore and rode out under his own power. We were extremely relieved.
I don't want to focus on the negative either. There were so many good things that happened in the situation too. Everyone responded quickly with a level head, used their avalanche tools properly and efficiently, and made the best of a terrible situation. The rider who was buried did an excellent job. He tried to stay with the sled as long as possible and tried to stay on top of the slide. When he couldn't hang on any more he let go of the snowmobile. He was only about 10 feet from his sled when we found him. When he was buried, he remained calm and tried to conserve his breathes because he knew he didn't have much air. Only a pocket of air space created by his helmet. The rider recalls blacking out and not hearing anything until he felt the probe hit his body. He was in and out of consciousness until we cleared the snow from his face and he was able to breathe again. He was wearing a beacon with fresh batteries which saved his life. Without it we would have had no clue where to start digging.
For a few of us it was a real eye opener as well. It's safe to say I will never leave the truck again without my beacon and probe. I will always check to make sure that the batteries are good. I will always make sure that everyone in my group has a beacon and knows how to use it. I saw the warning signs and knew the snow was unstable but didn't try to stop anyone in my group from hill climbing on the steep faces. We had multiple riders making ascents on the same hill at the same time.
I have been snowmobiling for over 13 years. I've ridden every kind of terrain imaginable. I know how to use a beacon and probe. It's funny how after all these years and experience I would still take a chance and go riding without a beacon. NEVER AGAIN. I hope I didn't miss anything but these events happened so quickly sometimes you forget things. I am just glad to say that the buried rider and alive and well today.
It was the first ride of the year for most of us. We were trying to get some miles on our new sleds and break them in. McCall has received some snow in the higher elevations the last few nights and we wanted to take advantage of it. I was an idiot leaving the pickup thinking "this will just be a road ride" and didn't bring my avalanche beacon. My girl friend bought batteries for her's but decided not to bring it as well. I know that there were several others in our group that didn't bring theirs either. We did have shovels but did not bring avalanche probes either.
So after several hours of riding in meadows and playing on small hills, our group of about 25 riders decided to head through the fog over to Duck Lake and Black Dog Valley, or at least that's what I think it's called. We found a good pocket of powder and a hill climb about 200 feet from the chute that Matt Potratz got buried on a few years ago. Several guys in the group began to make runs at the hill trying to break over the top. I was talking to one of the guys in our group while sitting at the bottom and you could see breaks in the snow along the cliffs where avalanches had occurred previously so we knew the snow was unstable. This should have been our first red flag.
After a few minutes, one rider was about two thirds of the way to the top of the hill slowly climbing through the deep snow ascending upward. Another rider on a turbo sled was making an ascent too and passed the first rider breaking over the top of the hill at a high rate of speed. Both riders saw the snow start to break as they were reaching the upper portion of the hill. The turbo sled was able to power through the beginning of the avalanche and make it over the top. The first rider was not so fortunate.
I was watching from the bottom and saw the top of the hill break loose. The crack at the top of the avalanche was about 2 feet deep. I kept my eye on the snowmobile as the avalanche carried it down the hill but I could not see the rider. I fired up my sled and quickly got to a safe distance at the bottom of the hill to wait for the avalanche to settle all the time keeping my eyes on the sled coming down the hill. As soon as the snow settled I rode quickly up the hill to where the sled stopped so I could start looking for the rider. About 10 other guys in our group followed me.
I stood there for a few seconds surveying the slide while trying to get my shovel and gear out. The only part of the buried snowmobile that was showing was the rear bumper. Talk about feeling lost. No beacon or probe. I saw no signs of the buried rider. The next guy who came up the hill to meet me didn't have a beacon either. Luckily there were a lot of riders in our group that were prepared. They quickly responded with their beacons and probes. About 3 minutes had elapsed now since the avalanche first started. One rider with a beacon quickly narrowed down the area of the buried rider and we began to probe for him while others began to dig. We quickly found his leg and began to excavate the rest of his body. Everyone kept a very level head and worked together quickly and efficiently to safely remove the rider from the snow. Once his head was uncovered I could clearly see his face. His skin color was blue and I saw no movement at all. The only thing I could think of was that we were too late.
We made sure that his mouth was free of snow and started to check for vital functions. His eyelids began to twitch. We started to talk to him while others dug to free him. He began responding to our questions and then began to move his arm and free leg. We kept him stable until he was completely free from being buried. He was talking, could feel all his body parts, and was able to move all his body parts so we allowed him to get up. From the time the avalanche started to the time he was freed felt like an eternity. It was less than 10 minutes. I believe that if we were 2 minutes later in responding the outcome wouldn't have been the same. The rider sustained no serious injuries. He was just a little sore and rode out under his own power. We were extremely relieved.
I don't want to focus on the negative either. There were so many good things that happened in the situation too. Everyone responded quickly with a level head, used their avalanche tools properly and efficiently, and made the best of a terrible situation. The rider who was buried did an excellent job. He tried to stay with the sled as long as possible and tried to stay on top of the slide. When he couldn't hang on any more he let go of the snowmobile. He was only about 10 feet from his sled when we found him. When he was buried, he remained calm and tried to conserve his breathes because he knew he didn't have much air. Only a pocket of air space created by his helmet. The rider recalls blacking out and not hearing anything until he felt the probe hit his body. He was in and out of consciousness until we cleared the snow from his face and he was able to breathe again. He was wearing a beacon with fresh batteries which saved his life. Without it we would have had no clue where to start digging.
For a few of us it was a real eye opener as well. It's safe to say I will never leave the truck again without my beacon and probe. I will always check to make sure that the batteries are good. I will always make sure that everyone in my group has a beacon and knows how to use it. I saw the warning signs and knew the snow was unstable but didn't try to stop anyone in my group from hill climbing on the steep faces. We had multiple riders making ascents on the same hill at the same time.
I have been snowmobiling for over 13 years. I've ridden every kind of terrain imaginable. I know how to use a beacon and probe. It's funny how after all these years and experience I would still take a chance and go riding without a beacon. NEVER AGAIN. I hope I didn't miss anything but these events happened so quickly sometimes you forget things. I am just glad to say that the buried rider and alive and well today.
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