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B.C. considers new curbs on careless snowmobilers in wake of avalanche deaths
Legislation would allow seizure of snowmobiles
Gwendolyn Richards, Calgary Herald: Monday, May 10, 2010
An RCMP photo of a Class 4 avalanche that was big enough to demolish buildings or derail a train, which occurred in late March in a snowmobile area
Photo Credit: RCMP handout photo, National Post
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The B.C. government is pledging to create legislation specifically targeting problem snowmobilers who put themselves and others at risk in the province's backcountry.
The comments from Tourism Minister Kevin Krueger come after another deadly season in B.C.'s mountains, which saw three men killed in avalanches triggered by high-marking -- a practice where snowmobilers drive their machines up slopes as far as possible.
Krueger said he is working with a committee of cabinet ministers to create new regulations that would deal with the small and specific group who behave foolishly in the mountains.
"They endanger not just themselves, which is bad enough, but those with them and others enjoying the backcountry," he said.
High-marking is said to be behind the avalanches that claimed the lives of Shay Snortland and Kurtis Reynolds on March 13 and, days later, Kelly Reitenbach -- three of 12 who died in snow slides in Canada's backcountry over the 2009-10 winter season.
The slide that killed Snortland and Reynolds at Boulder Mountain also sent snow tumbling onto the crowd below, enveloping as many as 70 people and injuring dozens.
Krueger would like to see legislation that would allow officials to seize and sell the snowmobiles of those who put others at risk through activities like high-marking, but, he said, the proposal has not been approved yet.
"Anything is on the table that will specifically help us with those who put others at risk," he said.
He added the province does not want to implement any regulations that would burden the majority of the population who enjoys the backcountry.
The deaths of Snortland and Reynolds -- who both left behind widows and two children each -- in the Boulder Mountain avalanche came as B.C. continued work on trying to regulate the backcountry and the federal government was just days away from announcing a new warning system they hope will be easier to follow.
The efforts are meant to make backcountry enthusiasts think twice about the dangers when they head into the great outdoors.
As politicians work toward creating those additional regulations, police, avalanche experts and those left behind say the risks and responsibility ultimately lie with the individual.
"The human mentality is, 'It will never happen to me,' " said Snortland's widow, Janine.
"Go, enjoy yourselves, but take note of the surroundings and warnings. If there are warnings out there, don't go. What you leave behind, is it worth it?"
Snortland and her two daughters are trying to carry on in the wake of their loss. But she calls the experience a nightmare and hopes others won't have to go through the same thing.
"I hope something good comes out of this and it opens people's eyes," she said.
This last season -- with 12 dying in avalanches -- was not the deadliest, nor did it reach the seasonal average of 15.
One of the deadliest seasons on record in recent history was 2002-03 when 29 died in snow slides, including seven students with Strathcona-Tweedsmuir participating in a backcountry ski tour near Rogers Pass.
Last year saw 26 buried in snow slides, including one lone avalanche that claimed eight lives. Of all those who died, 19 were snowmobilers -- the highest number of deaths among that group and double the previous highest number, said Canadian Avalanche Centre operations manager John Kelly.
Following those fatalities, a panel in B.C. made up of avalanche safety experts, snowmobiling groups, tourism professionals and government officials came forward with 15 recommendations to try to prevent another heartbreaking winter in the mountains.
B.C. is expected to have regulations in place by October 2011 to control the use of snowmobiles in the province's backcountry. Those mostly revolve around vehicle registration, licence plates and helmet use.
But in the days following the Boulder Mountain avalanche, then-Solicitor General Kash Heed admitted the province doesn't want to prohibit recreation activity and people will have to make their own decisions.
"No matter what we do as a province, it will be difficult for us to control and regulate," he said at the time.
At the same time, B.C. has increased funding to the avalanche centre -- to $150,000 per year -- and added signs on trails and highways to notify the public about avalanche risks.
The avalanche centre's Kelly said they want to see educational and cultural changes in how people approach the backcountry.
The Boulder mountain avalanche, which made international headlines, sent clear messages to avalanche safety experts. The fact that hundreds were exposed at the bottom of threatening terrain and dozens were buried and injured in the slide are causes for concern.
"Group management is a real problem in snowmobiling. That 200 could gather under an avalanche slope on high avalanche danger is something we cannot allow to persist," he said. "We have to attack this aggressively as a community."
He said the responsibility to check conditions and make informed decisions lies both with the individual heading out into the mountains and the community as a whole.
"Someone knew this wasn't a good idea to position themselves under an avalanche slope," Kelly said.
Skiers and mountaineers may pass through avalanche terrain but they look to do it as quickly as possible -- a long-held practice in these sports; snowmobilers don't have the same cultural learning because it is still relatively new.
"We have to instil that now. We can't wait for time to take its course and for people to learn the lessons by long experience," he said.
He added that sledders have to be encouraged to make choices of where they go based on conditions and not because they have made a decision to go out in the backcountry.
However, despite the progressively bad snowpack conditions over the past three years, there was not a rising trend in accidents and incidents.
"There is hope some of these systems and safety nets in education is having an effect on users," Kelly said.
The abundant backcountry wilderness of B.C.'s mountains are a major draw for sledders, skiers and the like from all over.
So too do events like the unsanctioned Big Iron Shoot Out that attracted people to Revelstoke for the March weekend when Snortland and Reynolds were killed. A criminal investigation followed the two deaths but ultimately did not lead to charges because there was no evidence to support any, said RCMP E Division spokesman Sgt. Rob Vermeulen.
He said he hopes the attention focused on the avalanche in the wake of the deaths will raise public awareness and reinforce the message that warnings are put out for a reason.
"We have to respect the forces of nature. These are preventable deaths. They are needless," he said. "People have to take personal responsibility. Part of that is knowing where the risks are and what those risks are."
Legislation would allow seizure of snowmobiles
Gwendolyn Richards, Calgary Herald: Monday, May 10, 2010
An RCMP photo of a Class 4 avalanche that was big enough to demolish buildings or derail a train, which occurred in late March in a snowmobile area
Photo Credit: RCMP handout photo, National Post
Share
The B.C. government is pledging to create legislation specifically targeting problem snowmobilers who put themselves and others at risk in the province's backcountry.
The comments from Tourism Minister Kevin Krueger come after another deadly season in B.C.'s mountains, which saw three men killed in avalanches triggered by high-marking -- a practice where snowmobilers drive their machines up slopes as far as possible.
Krueger said he is working with a committee of cabinet ministers to create new regulations that would deal with the small and specific group who behave foolishly in the mountains.
"They endanger not just themselves, which is bad enough, but those with them and others enjoying the backcountry," he said.
High-marking is said to be behind the avalanches that claimed the lives of Shay Snortland and Kurtis Reynolds on March 13 and, days later, Kelly Reitenbach -- three of 12 who died in snow slides in Canada's backcountry over the 2009-10 winter season.
The slide that killed Snortland and Reynolds at Boulder Mountain also sent snow tumbling onto the crowd below, enveloping as many as 70 people and injuring dozens.
Krueger would like to see legislation that would allow officials to seize and sell the snowmobiles of those who put others at risk through activities like high-marking, but, he said, the proposal has not been approved yet.
"Anything is on the table that will specifically help us with those who put others at risk," he said.
He added the province does not want to implement any regulations that would burden the majority of the population who enjoys the backcountry.
The deaths of Snortland and Reynolds -- who both left behind widows and two children each -- in the Boulder Mountain avalanche came as B.C. continued work on trying to regulate the backcountry and the federal government was just days away from announcing a new warning system they hope will be easier to follow.
The efforts are meant to make backcountry enthusiasts think twice about the dangers when they head into the great outdoors.
As politicians work toward creating those additional regulations, police, avalanche experts and those left behind say the risks and responsibility ultimately lie with the individual.
"The human mentality is, 'It will never happen to me,' " said Snortland's widow, Janine.
"Go, enjoy yourselves, but take note of the surroundings and warnings. If there are warnings out there, don't go. What you leave behind, is it worth it?"
Snortland and her two daughters are trying to carry on in the wake of their loss. But she calls the experience a nightmare and hopes others won't have to go through the same thing.
"I hope something good comes out of this and it opens people's eyes," she said.
This last season -- with 12 dying in avalanches -- was not the deadliest, nor did it reach the seasonal average of 15.
One of the deadliest seasons on record in recent history was 2002-03 when 29 died in snow slides, including seven students with Strathcona-Tweedsmuir participating in a backcountry ski tour near Rogers Pass.
Last year saw 26 buried in snow slides, including one lone avalanche that claimed eight lives. Of all those who died, 19 were snowmobilers -- the highest number of deaths among that group and double the previous highest number, said Canadian Avalanche Centre operations manager John Kelly.
Following those fatalities, a panel in B.C. made up of avalanche safety experts, snowmobiling groups, tourism professionals and government officials came forward with 15 recommendations to try to prevent another heartbreaking winter in the mountains.
B.C. is expected to have regulations in place by October 2011 to control the use of snowmobiles in the province's backcountry. Those mostly revolve around vehicle registration, licence plates and helmet use.
But in the days following the Boulder Mountain avalanche, then-Solicitor General Kash Heed admitted the province doesn't want to prohibit recreation activity and people will have to make their own decisions.
"No matter what we do as a province, it will be difficult for us to control and regulate," he said at the time.
At the same time, B.C. has increased funding to the avalanche centre -- to $150,000 per year -- and added signs on trails and highways to notify the public about avalanche risks.
The avalanche centre's Kelly said they want to see educational and cultural changes in how people approach the backcountry.
The Boulder mountain avalanche, which made international headlines, sent clear messages to avalanche safety experts. The fact that hundreds were exposed at the bottom of threatening terrain and dozens were buried and injured in the slide are causes for concern.
"Group management is a real problem in snowmobiling. That 200 could gather under an avalanche slope on high avalanche danger is something we cannot allow to persist," he said. "We have to attack this aggressively as a community."
He said the responsibility to check conditions and make informed decisions lies both with the individual heading out into the mountains and the community as a whole.
"Someone knew this wasn't a good idea to position themselves under an avalanche slope," Kelly said.
Skiers and mountaineers may pass through avalanche terrain but they look to do it as quickly as possible -- a long-held practice in these sports; snowmobilers don't have the same cultural learning because it is still relatively new.
"We have to instil that now. We can't wait for time to take its course and for people to learn the lessons by long experience," he said.
He added that sledders have to be encouraged to make choices of where they go based on conditions and not because they have made a decision to go out in the backcountry.
However, despite the progressively bad snowpack conditions over the past three years, there was not a rising trend in accidents and incidents.
"There is hope some of these systems and safety nets in education is having an effect on users," Kelly said.
The abundant backcountry wilderness of B.C.'s mountains are a major draw for sledders, skiers and the like from all over.
So too do events like the unsanctioned Big Iron Shoot Out that attracted people to Revelstoke for the March weekend when Snortland and Reynolds were killed. A criminal investigation followed the two deaths but ultimately did not lead to charges because there was no evidence to support any, said RCMP E Division spokesman Sgt. Rob Vermeulen.
He said he hopes the attention focused on the avalanche in the wake of the deaths will raise public awareness and reinforce the message that warnings are put out for a reason.
"We have to respect the forces of nature. These are preventable deaths. They are needless," he said. "People have to take personal responsibility. Part of that is knowing where the risks are and what those risks are."
