Backcountry Sledders make CBC News....Again

[plio7]

yea i think if they would have left out that one guy and maybe put in some of the clips that they probably edited out about being prepared it wouldn'n have been all that bad on us....its the media twist that will get us everytime

 

[bj_lucky]

I am starting to get freaking tired of hearing just the negative statistics of our sport. What about the positive?

There are 100-200 users per day in the riding areas ranging from Valemount to Revy to Fernie multiply that by the amount of weeks during the riding season. How many thousands of people use the back country safely. No disrespect to the individuals that were lost this season but i think us sledders are using their heads quite well. No I dont think those incidents should be taken lightly or brushed under the carpet as thats what keeps me riding safe terrain, the reminder of what can happen.

What really grinds my gears is that how many fatalities are there on the highway during a winter storm warning? The RCMP will issue a travel advisory and people still go out on the roads. Does the media say the people involved the accident "get what they deserve". That they are "reckless adrenaline junkies". No accidents happen....

I for one will never comment to reporters cause of how they twist our words to convey what they want. I watched a clip of an interview a while back of a guy that was caught in an avalanche. He said, "His buddy high marked so he high marked him. Then his buddy high marked him, so he had to highmark his buddy again. Thats when the avalanche happened." Really folks! Thats not the plublicity we need. Thats the stereotype I dont want. Leave your big boy attitude for the bar, not the tv interview....

 

[Bogger]

I suspect you numbers are low, maybe accurate for mid-week....I've been at Allen on days when over 225 riders were there...

I'd suspect between McBride, Vale, Revy, Fernie etc... we are over 1000 stong on weekends....

I am starting to get freaking tired of hearing just the negative statistics of our sport. What about the positive?

There are 100-200 users per day in the riding areas ranging from Valemount to Revy to Fernie multiply that by the amount of weeks during the riding season. How many thousands of people use the back country safely. No disrespect to the individuals that were lost this season but i think us sledders are using their heads quite well. No I dont think those incidents should be taken lightly or brushed under the carpet as thats what keeps me riding safe terrain, the reminder of what can happen.

What really grinds my gears is that how many fatalities are there on the highway during a winter storm warning? The RCMP will issue a travel advisory and people still go out on the roads. Does the media say the people involved the accident "get what they deserve". That they are "reckless adrenaline junkies". No accidents happen....

I for one will never comment to reporters cause of how they twist our words to convey what they want. I watched a clip of an interview a while back of a guy that was caught in an avalanche. He said, "His buddy high marked so he high marked him. Then his buddy high marked him, so he had to highmark his buddy again. Thats when the avalanche happened." Really folks! Thats not the plublicity we need. Thats the stereotype I dont want. Leave your big boy attitude for the bar, not the tv interview....

 

[Modman]

hmmm lets see why it bothers me, the story was originally about 2 Heli skiers that lost there lives today. "Noisy sleds" unlike Helis whispering along. continuing to ride in "considerable" avy rating. unlike the Snow water heli/cat ski operation of course. I see it as a disrespect to the lost souls today and a twisted kick at somehow including making sledders look hell bent on a death wish.... how often is the snowpack actually safe ?????????????????????????????

Yep, totally agree. The story overall was not too bad I thought, the sticker approach was being proactive, etc etc, then they stuck "risk" dude and the statement of "anyone riding a noisy sled through avalanche terrain gets what they deserve" in there, totally lost all credibility to sledders for the rest of what was said. This is where it would have been really nice to hear an industry rep talk about stats. "Sledders go out and ride an average of blah blah blah hours per weekend with very incidents, etc etc. total exposure to actual incidents is 0.01%, etc etc."

This is another interview from the same guy - far more appropriate and better knowledge given in this one, without CBC's very opinionated and slanted view of the subject. Check out sled:link and Doug Washer on Shaw TVs, The Express | sled:link

 

[moyiesledhead]

Sorry....I couldn't get past the second add they tried to make me watch before I got to see the real video. It's like trying to listen to the comedy stations on my Sirius radio. Don't do that any more either!

 

[imdoo'n]

ok, every one of you that have commented on this here, have any of you made a comment on the cbc program comments section about your displeasure of said program? if not i'm thinkin you just like to hear yourself yak. put your comments to cbc and maybe we may get something to change. i have, have you?

my mistake it is the contact us area, it is not the comments site.

 

[sledderdoc]

pfttt

 

[RevyG]

Man, woman dead after heli-skiing group hit by avalanche near Nelson, B.C.

At least the biggest paper in the province can write a factual story. Clearwter times and the cbc should take note.

Just a side note so we don't paint all of them(media), with the same brush like we think they do. I agree cbc does some stupid stuff.

Sad more mountain lovers die.

 

[imdoo'n]

pfttt

hmm you don't think a comment from maybe 20,000 members on this site would make someone stand up and pay attention, lets be part of the solution not the problem( apathy).

 

[Modman]

ok, every one of you that have commented on this here, have any of you made a comment on the cbc program comments section about your displeasure of said program? if not i'm thinkin you just like to hear yourself yak. put your comments to cbc and maybe we may get something to change. i have, have you?

LOL seriously? Those comment sections are for exactly the people you describe above - those that like to hear themselves yak! They can post a comment from the comfort of their armchair in Toronto, with absolutely no experience or knowledge of the subject - they post strictly to hear others agree with their own twisted opinion. The more arguments that start, the more hits CBC's website recieves, its nothing but free advertising.

Google search "CBC skiers avalanche" and what comes up? an article titled "Avalanches Kill more snowmobilers than skiers" Avalanches kill more snowmobilers than skiers - British Columbia - CBC News WTF? sledders not even mentioned in the google search? Yeah, slanted views for sure it seems. Same as the title of this news report "Snowmobile Risks Extreme"......uh hardly CBC..... the avy risk for the BACKCOUNTRY AND ALL ITS USERS is only considerable at the moment. If you post on the CBC comments section you are only helping their cause, best thing you can do is ignore the comments and not give them any more attention than what they are trying to grab with their ridiculous headlines.

 

[bj_lucky]

Modman;

I agree with you about people that make comments that have no idea of what's going on but if you ignore something doesnt it just keep happening?

Pretty soon the news will go "the price of wheat is up and in related news snowmobilers and avalanches"...

 

[imdoo'n]

LOL seriously? Those comment sections are for exactly the people you describe above - those that like to hear themselves yak! They can post a comment from the comfort of their armchair in Toronto, with absolutely no experience or knowledge of the subject - they post strictly to hear others agree with their own twisted opinion. The more arguments that start, the more hits CBC's website recieves, its nothing but free advertising.

Google search "CBC skiers avalanche" and what comes up? an article titled "Avalanches Kill more snowmobilers than skiers" Avalanches kill more snowmobilers than skiers - British Columbia - CBC News WTF? sledders not even mentioned in the google search? Yeah, slanted views for sure it seems. Same as the title of this news report "Snowmobile Risks Extreme"......uh hardly CBC..... the avy risk for the BACKCOUNTRY AND ALL ITS USERS is only considerable at the moment. If you post on the CBC comments section you are only helping their cause, best thing you can do is ignore the comments and not give them any more attention than what they are trying to grab with their ridiculous headlines.

i was thinking the contact us area, not the comments. but if there are only 1 or 2 responses, they will listen to the ones who want to stop any kind of recreation. i think the site should make a group comment and the regional sled associations also. otherwise we bitch and do nothing and lose riding areas. a pro active approach is needed not a pfft attitude.

 

[Bogger]

I think since Snowandmud.com has more members than any user representation group we should stand up and be counted.

Apply for non-proffit status... hell no.... religious status then we would not be bound by geographic borders, could lay claim to public lands as areas of worship and collect federal assistance to help with trail and "church" construction and maintenance...

hmmmmm........

 

[Sledderglen]

I think since Snowandmud.com has more members than any user representation group we should stand up and be counted.

Apply for non-proffit status... hell no.... religious status then we would not be bound by geographic borders, could lay claim to public lands as areas of worship and collect federal assistance to help with trail and "church" construction and maintenance...

hmmmmm........

Amen Bogger!!! Church of sledding.

 

[tex78]

Amen Bogger!!! Church of sledding.

X2.

Ur the head of our church

Sent from my HTC-Z710a using Tapatalk

 

[snoqueen]

Yep, totally agree. The story overall was not too bad I thought, the sticker approach was being proactive, etc etc, then they stuck "risk" dude and the statement of "anyone riding a noisy sled through avalanche terrain gets what they deserve" in there, totally lost all credibility to sledders for the rest of what was said. This is where it would have been really nice to hear an industry rep talk about stats. "Sledders go out and ride an average of blah blah blah hours per weekend with very incidents, etc etc. total exposure to actual incidents is 0.01%, etc etc."

This is another interview from the same guy - far more appropriate and better knowledge given in this one, without CBC's very opinionated and slanted view of the subject. Check out sled:link and Doug Washer on Shaw TVs, The Express | sled:link

I agree totally! The CBC has always portrayed sledders negatively. That's not going to change any time soon. I do believe Doug Washer is really trying hard to get the message out there about avy safety. I know from his Sled Link website and facebook pages he works tirelessly on promoting awareness. Being interviewed by the CBC probably wasn't the best decision he made in getting this message out. No doubt he is probably regretting it now!

Unfortunately, joe public already has formed their opinions about us....one only has to read the comments after any news story done by the CBC. What we really need is a media spokesperson that can give an accurate depiction of backcountry sledding, to hopefully try and change the negative stereotypes. It's really sad when two backcountry skiers lose their lives in an avy and the newstory focuses on backcountry sledding instead.

 

[Modman]

Modman;

I agree with you about people that make comments that have no idea of what's going on but if you ignore something doesnt it just keep happening?

Pretty soon the news will go "the price of wheat is up and in related news snowmobilers and avalanches"...

I hear ya but I used to comment there and most of them don't even read anyone else's comments - you might as well talk to the wall. The CBC does not even read them. After reading the same comments by the same commenters on the CBC pages, its just that - the same. They are a bunch of hateful broken record "know-it-alls" from around the country, they post their anger towards individuals and nothing more. Most people can recognize the anger and resentment in their voices after a couple comments and realise these comments are nothing more than animosity towards something they know nothing about, since most of the time they direct their anger at the people involved in the story, not the issues the story addresses. The same ones post on the same subjects each time they come up, they do it just to start an argument and drag people down to their level, so they can beat them with experience. I went off on them one time (on a related story about a sledder dying in an avy) about how they know nothing about how I live my life, judging them for commenting etc, and Summiteer had to remind me that I was the pot calling the kettle black (Thanks Mitch!). LOL

After that, I stopped reading or even posting there because I realized something about myself when I was reading their comments.....

I know there are some people out there with a hatred for living, and when they feel like they need to spread the negativity, the CBC website seems to be the outlet. Maybe a snowmobile ran past their house one night in 1975 and they are still pissed off about it, maybe they are pissed because we are out having fun and they have to sit inside. Some people spend their life trying to make everyone else miserable. I have written letters to editors and producers and sent them in, trying to be positive for sledders. Sledding for me is a positive thing in my life and I don't want to shroud it with negativity. Nothing you write on the CBC websites ever comes from positive thinking and there is never a positive outcome.

 

[powderpilot]

You can post your comments directly to Doug as well.

Did CBC get the story right? | sled:link

I fully agree that the interviewer missed some key points. The CAC has poured a ton of resources into avalanche research in snowmobile club terrain over the last few years to help develop a mapping system for all backcountry users. This couldn't have been accomplished on the scale that it was without a huge helping hand from the snowmobile community.

 

[Scotty]

Graphics. Thats what I do for a living. Visual presentation has a BIG impact over spoken words and type. The very first thing I noticed in CBC's story is the back drop ... it depicted snowmobilers. Of course it did. The story was about 2 unfortunate Heli Skiers that died in an avalanche. Why show Snowmobilers? It's way more powerful than showing a respectful GREEN heli skier gliding calmly down a dangerous mountain slope who somehow managed to find his way into dangerous terrain that is normally regarded as irresponsible Snowmobiler's territory, and then lost his life. They could have had as a back drop, a nice shot of a graceful Chopper quietly (cough, cough) hovering and swirlling a nice plume of powder around the skiiers as they gently dropped them off at the top of the slope.

But they choose the Snowmobiler pic?? Next time an avalanche claims the life of a snowmobiler I will bet everyone on this website my life savings that you will never see a Loud stinking fuel guzzling Chopper in the back drop.

CBC has their own agenda.... we are westerners. nuff said.

This was not to be disrespectful to those who died doing what they loved to do in the back country.

 

[struglin]

We need a rep as Maxwell said and once we have a rep we need to figure out how to get him heard then maybe we will have a chance of keeping our beloved back country

Bogger your a genius