At least 3 dead, 15 injured after B.C. avalanche

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Originally Posted by backcountryislife

last thing, if someone comes on here, like G.O.P. did this week (steep gullies thread that I assume was deleted) & starts cunting up a thread about SKIERS that had lost their lives, you guys FUCKING FREAK on them, just because these morons were on sleds instead of the morons that are on skis, doesn't give free reign to do the exact same thing you guys all seem to act so high & mighty about on every other thread.

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Not sure if anyone has done that yet. Yeah, the sledneck angle is cheap and easy and some people go there but so far it seems like the discussion has been mostly respectful. For most of us, the thought of 200 skiers getting together for such an event is inconceivable, much less 200 people with some / most on heavy machines. I am just trying to understand the rationale / trigger for such an event. I don't think that makes anyone a prick, just curious.

If there is instability in the snowpack, a sled will find it. I am not a sledder but it seems to me the noise and speed of the machines might make it harder to get / hear messages from the snowpack. Add that to a few other factors (conditions, heuristic traps, etc) and I am just generally unable to understand what anyone was doing there, much less a large group competing for prizes or glory.

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Originally Posted by JoeStrummer

If there is instability in the snowpack, a sled will find it. I am not a sledder but it seems to me the noise and speed of the machines might make it harder to get / hear messages from the snowpack. Add that to a few other factors (conditions, heuristic traps, etc) and I am just generally unable to understand what anyone was doing there, much less a large group competing for prizes or glory.

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You're right about them being good at finding instability on an aspect. When used properly, a sled can be extremely effective as an avy tool. Similar to a ski cut, but much more effective & telling, you can cut a slope very easily & with a lot less risk with the sled. I drop aspects all the time that either need to go so they're safer afterwards, or just to test the slope & it goes. The ability to get away is the biggest difference in the machines.

It's definitely harder to read the signs on a loud obnoxious 2 stroke (or 4) going 20-40 mph (despite what folks think, they don't often go any faster than this aside from down the trail), but if you know what you're doing you can evaluate a slope with more authority quicker & easier on the machine.

Those of us that have many years in the BC before we ever touched a sled, then later switched over see them for what they are, a fun toy, and a very useful tool when used properly.
When I bought my first sled I told myself I was just doing it for acces, I wasn't gonna turn into one of those douche sledders... but damn are they fun!

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Originally Posted by backcountryislife

So when you look at motocross riders, do you say the same thing...?

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No. Motocross takes a lot of talent, if not much in the way of aerobic capacity. Just a large capacity for pain and discomfort. Young man's game, it seems, considering the championship level. I was never fond of watching it after it went stadium with all that jumping.

You don't sit down doing it.

honestly as very tragic and sad as this is, i feel like mother nature only revolted against the oil and fumes being spread over her in such a massive content, but really its just the name of the game on mountains, respect them or the kill you, and the lack of proper etiquette in avalanche terrain during huge RED FLAG conditions (even for skiing let alone multiple 400+ Lbs machines) just begs someone to call Darwin awards...


does anyone know if everyone was even wearing a beacon?

Shut up already Benny

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Originally Posted by Benny Profane

No. Motocross takes a lot of talent, if not much in the way of aerobic capacity. Just a large capacity for pain and discomfort. Young man's game, it seems, considering the championship level. I was never fond of watching it after it went stadium with all that jumping.

You don't sit down doing it.

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Benny, snowmobiling like you see out East is nothing like hillclimbing steep hills in Revelstoke like the ones for this contest. You have to stand up, muscle the sled, and have a lot of skill. And it is completely exhausting at the end of the day if you do a lot of climbing, jumping, etc. You can not rely on the engine to get yourself up a hill, it is nothing like trail-riding at all, which is very easy. There is also this balance-thing which is also very hard to learn when sidehilling and climbing.

I'm not defending snowmobiling or saying it's better than this or that, just trying to put the record straight. There's some really good hillclimbers that have a beer belly and move that extra weight pretty well to balance the sled, but the best sledders are usually in great shape. Not motocross shape but most likely better shape than you and I.

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Originally Posted by Humble

does anyone know if everyone was even wearing a beacon?

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its not the gear ,its the choosing to sled in bad conditions that was the killer

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Originally Posted by Benny Profane

No. Motocross takes a lot of talent, if not much in the way of aerobic capacity. Just a large capacity for pain and discomfort. Young man's game, it seems, considering the championship level. I was never fond of watching it after it went stadium with all that jumping.

You don't sit down doing it.

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yea you're right, a 95% Heart Rate for a 25 minute main doesn't take much aerobic capacity!:confused:

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Originally Posted by XXX-er

its not the gear ,its the choosing to sled in bad conditions that was the killer

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Ditto.

The competitors would have been wearing gear, as 99% of them live in this terrain & spend their time riding in the mtns, but some of the spectators may have had the "I'm on trail" excuse that I hear from sledders from time to time, total bullshit.

One account mentions that he saw "tons of avy bags going off", you won't likely see someone with no avy experience spending 1000+ on a backpack.

Oh, and Benny... I (and everyone I have ever ridden with) sit down for about the last 5 min of the day when I'm COMPLETELY wasted, oh, and when I eat lunch. Us redneck, uneducated, lazy sledders bring our own couch along so we have somewhere to sit to eat. (oh yeah, we eat a badass HOT lunch that our motor cooks for us:the_finge)

you look at all the vid that has been published and there are lines of sledders probing ,they are shoveling ,they got the gear and were self rescuing where 10yrs ago I don't think they would have all had the gear

SO think about how many people they actualy DID save as opposed to what might have been in the past ?

I read 30-50 people were buried , 30 injured ,to me injured = dug out ... SO think how many dead there might have been 10 yrs ago??

AND the tricked out sleds 10 yrs ago would not hold a candle to what you can buy stock nowadays ... so sledders have the ability to go much farther higher faster bigger

Benny STFU already, you're spouting ignorance. I've been backcountry snowmobiling and backcountry skiing since I was a kid (39 now). I can assure you that both are equally physically demanding in their own right.

By the way what's your max clean & jerk or your Fran time?

snippet from a press release...


"Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said the canvass of hotel rooms left police more optimistic that the death toll would not rise significantly. He said that was because many of the snowmobilers were equipped with avalanche recovery equipment and rescued themselves"

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Originally Posted by Humble

does anyone know if everyone was even wearing a beacon?

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do you really think this was a beacon wearing crowd? even if you wear a beacon it only helps others to find your body. after the first 15 minutes or so it usually wont matter. can u imagine being mixed in a cold slurry of machines, snow, wood n stones? god bless the dead.

Here's a side view of Turbo Hill

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULJ4-XDfwjU&feature=fvw"]YouTube- Turbo hill Revelstoke[/ame]

Appears the avalanche was triggered by three sledders

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Originally Posted by Slaag Master

do you really think this was a beacon wearing crowd? even if you wear a beacon it only helps others to find your body.

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That's why more & more of us wear avy packs, the one thing that actually shows a legitimate statistic of allowing you to save yourself.

How many of your friends wear one?? Most of my friends do now.

You guys care to stereotype some more?

Who sounds like they're not prepared in the mountains now?

death toll is down to 2, and it sounds like there are no missing at this point.

Great - news is full of little kids with nerve damage, black eyes, limping. All caught in the slide. Weeping shithead parents who brought the kids there.

Can't wait for more outraged people calling for more regulated access to the backcountry

The sound and smell of all of those machines out in the beautiful BC backcountry must have been wonderful. Two hundred at once.

They'll be out there in a few months sullying the lakes and bays of North America on Jet skis. Every now and then I'll read about a few dying doing something stupid.

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Originally Posted by Benny Profane

The sound and smell of all of those machines out in the beautiful BC backcountry must have been wonderful. Two hundred at once.

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As one that votes Dem, drives a little car to work, just spent WAY too much on a solar system & picks up trash off the side of the road on a regular basis... I can't really argue with you on that one!


They're fun toys, I wish to hell it didn't smell & make so much noise, but I'm hooked. It's backcountry crack man, I just can't quit. They get me away from the rest of the skinners for the day so I don't have to share my lines!!


BTW, aside form the little bickering that we have here, there is some good news.

"latest news---- EVERYONE accounted for ---no more dead , no more missing:

hard to believe, this is pretty amazing.

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Originally Posted by Benny Profane

The sound and smell of all of those machines out in the beautiful BC backcountry must have been wonderful. Two hundred at once.

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As one that votes Dem, drives a little car to work, just spent WAY too much on a solar system & picks up trash off the side of the road on a regular basis... I can't really argue with you on that one!


They're fun toys, I wish to hell it didn't smell & make so much noise, but I'm hooked. It's backcountry crack man, I just can't quit. They get me away from the rest of the skinners for the day so I don't have to share my lines!!


BTW, aside form the little bickering that we have here, there is some good news.

"latest news---- EVERYONE accounted for ---no more dead , no more missing:

leelau, I agree totally, I hope to god that this situation does not negatively affect other bc travelers, sleds or not.

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Originally Posted by backcountryislife

They get me away from the rest of the skinners for the day so I don't have to share my lines!!

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That's the only reason I'd buy one.

It's the ONLY reason I did...


but it's a slippery slope bro, be careful. You can turn to the dark side easier than you think:eek:

Fer fucks sake, can't someone ride a motorized snow machine without being wished dead?

Hey Benny, you dont waste any fossil fuels riding a aki lift do you?
cuz the carbon credits are not preventing the killing of the earth.
and that bacteria and water for snowmaking? pure gaia death.
and that car you drive to deliver those pizzas? even a prius is wrong.
so just kill yourself and save the rest of us the annoying smug superiority trip.

BCL, that is great news. Less dead is less dead.

However, putting that many people under a path while other people hi-mark and potentially trigger the slope is idiotic.

I agree that 10 years ago this same type of behavior would have resulted in whointhehell only knows how many dead.

Snowmobilers are starting to "get it" what with more of them carrying rescue gear and wearing airbags, but really.

The avalanche warnings were pretty strong in their verbiage about the persistent hazard within that local snowpack, a large amount of H2o was applied to an already very tender snowpack and these people went there anyway. Survival gear helps you to live another day, maybe.

Good decision making and avoidance would have prevented this from happening in the first place.

The $$$ spent to "rescue" these people may lead to policies that none of us desire.

This was stupid behavior on so many levels that is hard not to shake your heads and then resort to sledneck stereotypes.

[QUOTE][One account mentions that he saw "tons of avy bags going off", you won't likely see someone with no avy experience spending 1000+ on a backpack./QUOTE]
Thank's for proving that once again you are one of the dumbest posters here trying to make a point.
All that avy experience and they were parked in the run out zone watching people high mark above them when there was obvious avalanche conditions.
This was an organized event. I don't see this any different than a rock concert substitute snowmachine for music. People came for a good time not neccissarily to be responsible for their own actions. Sadly the organizers did not do their job. sad when people die or get injured just going out to have fun.
I agree this will lead to policies people do not desire.

bunion, don't think FOR A SECOND that I don't agree with you & am not disgusted by how many people allowed themselves to be put at such extreme risk for as silly a thing as climbing a hill slightly higher or faster than the next guy.

I don't wish harm on anyone, but this place has consequences & if you don't respect them, you might get lucky for a while, but it won't last.

The only point I have here is that people make stupid decisions whatever mode of transit they choose to get into the bc.

I've seen so many stupid things done by skiers as well as sledders, that I find it hard to assume that either group is filled with stoner skibums, or redneck sledders. To make those stereotypes from either side is just plain stupid.

Btw, I've had similar conversations to this from the other side of this as well, it's hard to convince either side that the others aren't what they think they are.

Benny, once again, doesn't even have to try to convince any sized populace of what a complete failure of a delivery boy he has become.

You know, Benny, they did a nice piece on the Yugo on NPR a night or two ago. Might want to think of upgrading.

You are the only person in the entire history of TGR, that if I met you in person, I would just love to slug off the bat. And, trust me, I've met most of the TGR d'bags- and I like them.

You rank down there with the absolute lowest pieces of shit.