The BaitShop Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home > Head for the Hills! > Transportation in the Outdoors
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - snowmobilers! avalanche season is here
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

This site is completely supported by donations; there are no corporate sponsors. We would be honoured if you would consider a small donation, to be used exclusively for forum expenses.



Thank you, from the BaitShop Boyz!

snowmobilers! avalanche season is here

 Post Reply Post Reply
Author
Message
TasunkaWitko View Drop Down
Administrator
Administrator
Avatar
aka The Gipper

Joined: 10 June 2003
Location: Chinook Montana
Status: Offline
Points: 14749
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: snowmobilers! avalanche season is here
    Posted: 16 December 2005 at 05:15
AVALANCHE SEASON IS HERE
      Snowmobile riders who relish playing in new snow have already had
some great weekends this season, but experienced riders know deep
early snows and mild weather provide the base for a potentially
dangerous avalanche season.
      Terrain, weather and the amount of snow-pack combine to create
avalanche conditions. Once these conditions exist, human activity is the
most frequent trigger of an avalanche.
      To be safe, prepare now. Snowmobile riders need to inspect and
practice using their avalanche survival gear, including a transceiver, probe
pole and shovel.
      "If you don't have avalanche gear," said Ray Paige, FWP's trails
program specialist, "this is the year to acquire it."
      In addition to the right gear, the best protection is knowledge of:

* Avalanche Mechanics: Avalanche danger begins when major snowstorms
and winds create successive layers of unstable snow pack. About 90
percent of all avalanches start on open slopes of 30-45 degrees. Over
half of all avalanche fatalities occur on small slopes-slopes of less than
300 vertical feet.

* Avalanche Warning Signs: Avalanches are more likely to occur during or
after a snowstorm if the snow has been blowing and drifting. This new
snow hasn't bonded to the underlying snow pack and it is unstable.

* Avalanche-hazard areas: Most avalanche terrain is easy to spot. Look
for an open slope, bowl, or gully above timberline. Bent or damaged trees
are a clue to where avalanches have occurred in past years.
      Check Montana's avalanche centers for specific information on the
locations of past avalanches, current conditions and to learn more about
avalanches. Avalance advisories are available for the   Montana avalanche
information is also available on the Internet at www.avalanche.org .
                                              -fwp-

AVALANCHE SURVIVAL TIPS
      Snowmobilers have had some good snow and fine weather to enjoy
their sport in December.
      That was the free ride.
      Now that there is snow-pack in the higher elevations, the state is
moving into avalanche season.
      Avalanches are more likely to occur during or after a snowstorm. A
slope becomes unstable when new snow hasn't bonded to the underlying
snow-pack.
      Here are some tips to help keep your fun in the snow safe:

If you are caught in an avalanche:
* Make swimming motions and try to stay on top of the snow; work your
way to the side of the avalanche.
* As you feel the avalanche slow, try to thrust your hand or another part
of your body above the snow surface and move your arm in front of your
face to clear an air space.
* Try not to panic; you need to preserve oxygen.

If you are an avalanche survivor or an observer:
* Keep your eyes fixed on the moving mass of snow in which the victim is
trapped.
* Mark the place where you last saw the victim.
* Begin searching with your avalanche transceiver.
* If the victim does not have a beacon, search directly down slope from
the last point where he or she was seen. Look for visual clues like a glove
or boot sticking out of the snow, and actively probe around trees,
partially buried snow machines, or other obvious areas.
* Dig victim out from the snow as rapidly as possible.
* When the victim is found, treat him or her for suffocation, shock and
hypothermia.
* Stay with the victim, unless help is only a few minutes away. After 30
minutes submerged in snow, the victim has only a 50 percent chance of
survival.
      Play it safe, check for avalanche advisory information in advance of
your trip. Avalanche centers are: the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche
Center at 406-587-6981 or www.mtavalanche.com ; West Central
Montana Avalanche Center at 800-281-1030 or
www.missoulaavalanche.org ; or Glacier Country Avalanche Center at
800-526-5329 or www.glacieravalanche.org.   Montana avalanche
advisories are also available on the Internet at www.avalanche.org .
                                              -fwp-
TasunkaWitko - Chinook, Montana

Helfen, Wehren, Heilen
Die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 11.10
Copyright ©2001-2017 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.078 seconds.