As a public service announcement, I would like to say to any person out there considering getting into "extreme snowmobiling" up the side of a mountain, there is an uncomfortably high probability of you being involved in an avalanche. To those of you who are fans of the sport and attend the annual Big Iron Shootout, you may want to reconsider standing at the bottom of the mountain while these nuts go racing for the top. All civilians unaware of the hazard should be cleared from the area.
When I migrated from Ontario to British Columbia, I drove from Banff to Revelstoke in what had to be the most frightening driving experience of my life thus far. I cannot fathom the mindset of the individual who wants to race up one of those mountains in a snow machine. I would like to send my best wishes to the search and rescue personnel who are searching tirelessly in the wake of this needless man made disaster. Thank heavens we have people among us who would risk their own lives to save the lives of people who have no concept of self preservation.
If you have any friends or family who do this mountainside snowmobiling, splash some ice water in their face!
The drive from Banff to Revelstoke is one of the most inspiring drives you will ever take, we do it twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer. The scenery is awesome, the mountains make you feel small, and around every corner you get a new view that makes you want to stop and take it all in.
ReplyDeleteSnowmobiling is a whole different story. Every year someone dies but they keep doing it. It's not just snowmobiling, it's hiking in the summer too. We need to start charging people for the search and rescue crews, that might stop some of the foolishness.
"Someone dies but they keep doing it." Be careful; they'll probably try to eat your brains.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy snowmobiling, and several of my relatives own sleds. I just watched video footage of what they do at "The Big Iron Shootout" and thought these people are nuts.
ReplyDeleteThere was an avalanche. Way to go guys.
to whom it may concern. most of these guys that are "extreme" riders know what they are getting into. The problem lies with the people who think it will never happen to them. there should have been guide lines set into place to keep the people watching at a safe distance.
ReplyDeletebeing a back country rider my self i always make shure to minimize the risk any way i can. Its my sport i know the risk and the dangers that are involved and i dont want anyone taking that away from me thats why im furious that people do not show enough respect for mother nature.
I think we're going to have change your name to Water Man. The Big Iron Shootout and the people in it are comfortable there, not terrified as you were, just driving through on the highway.
ReplyDeleteLet it be. They lost friends and the only people opposed to it are those not involved with it. Isn't it always the way!! For their own good no doubt!!
Pat, I was frightened not terrified, there is a difference. I also drove it at night and was most concerned with the speed of the big rig drivers speeding up the other side of the road.
ReplyDeleteFear is an evolutionary advantage that alerts us as to when we should be pre-occupied with self preservation.
This isn't about back country snowmobiling, it is a group of daredevils who race up mountains. There is a high probability of an avalanche via this activity, and the data bears that out. The Big Iron Shootout is simply insane!
ReplyDeleteSpoken like a true outsider on the subject of back country snowmobiling. Frightened by the roads and calling the people that were there and lost husbands and friends insane, will you please give your frigging Toronto centered head a shake.
ReplyDeleteNormally I really enjoy what you have to say on most anything, this loses me as soon as you start to type. Next it'll be "There outht'a be a law".
Pat, yes it is my opinion these people are fucking crazy. Specifically the people who ride their sleds up mountains with a high risk of an avalanche. I am not going to change my opinion because you are threatening to stop visiting my blog. I am not talking about recreational snowmobiling, but rather "extreme snowmobiling".
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome to disagree, but I don't take kindly to people demanding that I shut up because they disagree with me.
Iceman, all I have to say is that if you actually took the time to go and try some of what you call "recreational" snowmobiling you would find that it is the same thing as what you would call "extreme". The guys who take part in things like the Big Iron Shootout are the same guys who flock to any given mountain from Golden to Whistler on any weekend. EVERY time you leave the parking lot you go out with the thought in your head that there may be an avalanche, and you just deal with it. You have to know what the risks are, but most of us go out there and have a good time anyway. Trust me , I am sure that everyone who was participating in the shootout knew exactly what the conditions were, and they took a chance. All of the people at the bottom of the hill should have know as well, and they also took the chance. The Revelstoke Snowmobile Club does a great job of trying to keep everyone who uses their trails and shelters as informed as they can, but if people choose to not listen, then it's their problem. I've lived in the Bow Valley for well over a decade, and have done the drive to Revy at night. Never a great idea to do it unless you want to be on the mountain first thing in the morning. My suggestion to you is that you give a backcountry snowmobile tour company like GSR, or Snowpeaks a call and try out the sport before you start condemning it.
ReplyDeleteI am not talking about small groups of people who travel through back country trails! I am talking about 100 sleds racing up the same steep mountain at the same time while hundreds of people stand at the bottom.
ReplyDeleteall i can say is wrong place wrong time for those on the hill that day, it is unfortunite that it happened but that is the risk us back country riders take sometimes, were not insane,or extreme riders, we just like to enjoy life different ways then others
ReplyDeleteGety your facts straight, there is never a 100 sleds running up the hill in an avalanche zone.
ReplyDeleteKudos to the preparation of everyone there that reacted due to their training and knowledge to get all but two out.
If you were hit by one of the trucks on the highway, I suggest most of the travellers would sit in their cars and watch you perish waiting for the emergenmcy crews to arrive.Not so with the people at this scene.
i think you and all the news and reporters should tell the whole story, not just the bad parts, why is it that you dont hear about people dying in auto races, or how come a plane can crash and kill 300 people and yet planes are still allowed to fly, people can get killed in the olympics and they dont get shut down or banned, we take risks everyday, we have a mind and we make a choice, wether its bad or good were stuck with that choice,maybe you should try some back country riding before you talk it down, not everyone in the world lives in a bubble like yourself and the people who talk down the sport, make sure you have all the facts before you start talking about the sport, maybe you are the insane on and sledders are the normal ones, why not research the 58 people who died on the same area in the 1910 revelstoke avalanche, who didnt have a snowmobile, maybe we should ban people from hiking,skiing,camping and even driving in the alpine, some of the most beautiful things in the world have been discovered by snowmobiling in the back country,maybe you should go to the back country where it is silent, peaceful,spectular views and area where nobody has maybe been before and discover your brain, and maybe rethink of what your are talking about before you open your big mouth, its people like you who give small sports a bad name
ReplyDeleteJust because we don't sit at a desk and judge the world from behind a window. Doesn't make me or any of the other people in life, who take calculated risk for pleasure/recreation deserving of the disturbed rigid world you would wish everyone to live in. You are envious of the people who are not bound by there fears and who can enjoy life from beyond the desk. Your quote "Fear is an evolutionary advantage that alerts us as to when we should be pre-occupied with self preservation." is partially true but without mans need to push the boundary and venture past his fears you or anyone else for that matter wouldn't be living the life you lead today. Fear has the ability to either imprison you or warn you. In your case you fear seems to prevent you from fully living your life.
ReplyDeleteOf all the people involved with the avalanche all of them would have either known and underestimated, or chosen to ignore the days danger levels. Yes it probably could have been avoided if we all stayed indoors and bubble wrapped ourselves but it just inst the case. It was a disaster and an accident that unfortunately occurred. I'm sure they will all get back on the horse and ride again one day. Maybe for some it wont be this season maybe for others it will.
As for hunters comments "We need to start charging people for the search and rescue crews, that might stop some of the foolishness."
Maybe we should take it so far to charge all heart attack patients for there ambulance costs for bad living habits!! Maybe we should make every car accident victim pay for there own medical costs. Its proven to be dangerous to drive a car and yet everyone still does it.
You talk about the cost of the search and rescue but im sure the total cost to society overall for these people leading healthy, active and outgoing lives is far less than the unhealthy couch potato who drinks and smokes.
You only get one life and its better to live it to its fullest than to sit back and let it pass!!!
If you are scared of the mountains and all they hold then maybe you should think about a quiet place in Saskatchewan.
I agree with many of the sledders posting here... Like many sports, there is some risk involved in sledding. However, the inclination to condemn the lot of us as "fucking crazy" because we race up a few mountain sides is overgeneralizing to say the least. Yes, there are some nut jobs out there, but that's universally true and can apply beyond any group of sledders. Most of us on the mountains are more safety conscious than the average driver on the highway who is texting or talking or eating or drinking coffee...
ReplyDeleteA tragedy like this is simply a tragedy... could it have been avoided? Probably but to apply the sort of logic you're suggesting is ludicrous. We'd never compete in any sports if that made sense -- what of the luger that died a few short weeks ago in Vancouver? Did you condemn the Games and suggest that he and his fellow athletes were "fucking crazy" because they down an ice-glazed shoot at over 100mph? Not likely. They - like sledders - weigh the costs and make the choice.
There have been mass tragedies like this in many sporting forums -- soccer stands collapsing, race cars spinning off into the stands -- tragedies invariably leave people searching for answer and "blame the victim" mentalities tend to float to the surface... just like shit.
For those remain...
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow;
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on the ripened grain;
I am the gentle Autumn's rain.
Do not stand and my grave and cry;
I am not there, I did not die.
To die doing what you love... there can be no greater gift.
My heart goes out to the families who hold vigil...
The Sport?
ReplyDeleteIs this a sport in the same way baseball is? If so I wouldn't stretch the word that far as baseball is more of a game.
Snomobiling? Well that is a lot more like driving a car. Sport... go use your body.
Another wise comment from someone who knows nothing about the sport of back country riding!! You should try going out on a clear day after a big storm and try riding in the trees all day and explain to me how you don't use your body I recently took an outsider such as yourself with me and they could not believe how physically demanding back country riding really is.
ReplyDeleteSo called extreme snowmobiling has been going on for years, for all you outsiders that are so concerned now, you didnt think about it before or give it a moments thought. But now you can give your views on how everything should be in the world. ( Can't wait for the next tragedy to happen so you can go preach on something else). Everything at one time is considered extreme, the wright brothers for wanting to fly i am sure were called extreme and crazy behind there backs. Raising the highway speed limit to 70mph was called crazy. The founders of this country that made their way west, was just as extreme and for no more reason then humans desire to over come challenges and to know the unknown.
ReplyDeletePeople risk their lives daily doing sports they love.
Snowmobiling is a large part of Revelstokes tourism dollar, and everyone going up the mountain that day knew the risks, they spent their money to get there, their money on the sled and gear so instead of saying they are dumb, how about a moment to say, it is sad they died that day but they died doing what they loved and if i had to choose to lay in a hospital oneday or could choose to die at the hands of nature doing what i loved, i would choose #2.
Sledding requires alot more fitness then baseball, and how you can say baseball is more of a sport i have no idea, Let me guess you rent a golf cart when you play because it is just such a long walk.
Yes the mountains can be frightening but they also hold extreme beauty and i am happy some people still want to live there lifes and enjoy the beautiful world we have, maybe if more people did the state that the world is in wouldn't be so extreme, and we would care more for our planet. Sometimes feeling small in this world makes us think more about our greenfoot print.
People are always going to push the limits, whetever it is who can get the highmark on a mountain, who can shoot the biggest rapids in a kayak, of bike the farthest. It is human nature.
So go read the paper and find the new concern for this week. And just show some respect to the memory of someone the passed away doing what they LOVED!!!
They just had a second deadly avalanche in Revelstoke, started by a snowmobile riding up a mountain. There are a lot of back country routes that you can ride virtually no risk of an avalanche. Riding up a mountain is not one of them.
ReplyDeleteThe name of the deadly activity is "high marking", where multiple competitors attempt to blaze the highest altitude trail. In the last week, we have spent over a million dollars on search and rescue.
ReplyDeleteThe author of the article should stay in his cave and leave life to those who want to live it to it's fullest and not comment on something he clearly knows nothing about. Some activities, like extreme snowmobiling, are dangerous. You don't do over 40mph just sitting on a machine without it being dangerous. But that is probably what makes some powersport activites so exhilirating. Ask any motorcyclist. Now we know that even participating in a parade is death defying. When you think about it life is just plain dangerous. It's not for the faint of heart like the author of this naive article.
ReplyDeleteI live in Jackson Hole with simular terrain and love to snowmachine. It is dangerous but all snow sports are dangerous. The last two years there have been skiers killed in-bounds. All of the preparation in the world and it still happened. Three snowmobilers killed on a trail by an avelanche naturally released. Danger is all around and yes, they were taking a risk and paid the price. It could have been so much worse if the croud wasn't educated and skilled it search and rescue.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with people who want to do risky things. I do have a problem with taxpayer rescue services being employed to rescue them from themselves. Maybe they should try and get some insurance before they venture out. They won't have much luck, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteTO all the people who believe snowmobilers are a bunch of reckless idiots and because you as a judgemental person either cannot or dont like snowmobiling. You cannot be farther from the truth. Look at all sports. People die or get hurt on every sport there is. Rescuers put there lives at risk to save these people. You as mindless judgemental people dont mind these and believe they are ok as this may be a sport you like to watch or participate in. Rescuers risk there lives saving you and your HEROS for driving a car fast turning left all the time, Rock Climbing, Driving like an idiot and putting other people at risk.. People die in Water Activities. Again, Rescuers risk there lives to save you. It suprises me to see the lenghths people will go through when they have no facts or understanding of what is happening or anything about the sport. Every moment this world turns, Someone is putting themselves at risk for there one true passion and rescuers are going in and saving them. We pay TAXES, Registration Fees. Grooming fees, off road fees, So when something does go wrong we as snowmobilers have payed our own way to be rescued. Quit being so closed and narrowed minded.
ReplyDelete1 this event has gone on for many years without inccident. 2 this was mostvlikely the most dangerous time to go as it snowed alot and didnt have time to pack. People die in auto crashes every day and in many other things, but a few people a year out of the thousands that do It is all you hear about. So yes it is dangerous but so is driving on macloud trail in Calgary at rush hour.
ReplyDeletewonder how many ppl will die this year doing thsi stupidness.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many people will die from a poor lifestyle? I wonder how many people will die while driving? I wonder how many people will die from skiing? Why waste your time and energy debating and arguing over this? You may only live once, enjoy everyday, it could be your last!? If your so concerned about "preserving life" then concentrate on the things in your life you could improve and let everyone else live theirs. It's amazing how opinionated some people are...you'll all die young from stress related problems because your always worrying about other people's lifestyles...sad...
ReplyDeleteOkay, let's clear this up...... the only thing that matters is that these people are doing something they truly love or simply enjoy. These people are well informed of all the risks involved and usual don't just consider themselves. They think of their family and friends, and usually they support them. When it comes down to it everyone makes their own decisions in life, and no matter what other people say it won't change a thing. These riders take all the precautions they can, and will always inform others around them. It makes me angry to read what people are writing (these people are crazy, or stupid, or that tax dollars are wasted on rescuing them from the own choice) 5.5 million ( that's MILLION) deaths each year are caused from smoking. SMOKING. And an estimated 50,000 in America from second hand smoke each year. Taxes pay for their health care, they risk other peoples lives and they know all the facts. Yet everyone has given up on telling these people they are stupid. And these are the people who are affecting the rest of us. Snowmobilers, all of them, can do what they want and no one should have the right to tell them otherwise. Or judge them for what their choices are. Please people just go down to the basics, do you want someone to pry into your life and make judgement on you for what you do. It doesn't effect you.
ReplyDelete