The Shame factor.. Yup I screwed up.

[MOMMA]

Here is something I wrote about Shame, and our inability to share our story which could potentially save a life.

Here's my story of my screw up.

https://sledmomma.wordpress.com/2016/12/14/the-shame-factor/

 

[moyiesledhead]

Speaking of mistakes......."Brakes".

 

[moyiesledhead]

And here's mine from a few years ago. Notice the sled tracks on top of the slide. It was all moving under me when I made those tracks, and I wasn't on the sled any more when the snow finally stopped moving. Scared the chit outta me! Stupid mistake. Obvious wind loading.

 

[catinthehat]

And here's mine from a few years ago. Notice the sled tracks on top of the slide. It was all moving when I made those. Stupid mistake. Obvious wind loading.

Our biggest mistake that day was being lulled into a false sense of security because the group ahead of us had successfully ridden there.
NEVER trust tracks to say it is safe.

 

[MOMMA]

Some of you may have read Meg's blogs since she lost her fiance in an avalanche 10 months ago. Now please read this. It's raw, filled with truth and Powerful. That is who Meg is. I can't even begin to explain how much love and respect I have for this woman.

https://newnormal.me/2016/12/14/ultimate-betrayal/

 

[d mills]

That's heavy,moving and truthful momma. I also have a story. Luckily it's a success story of a group with little training or equipment. A story that will never happen to me again. A story that directly affected 12 or so of us. And indirectly dozens more.

 

[armymags1]

Ok let's hear it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MOMMA]

That's heavy,moving and truthful momma. I also have a story. Luckily it's a success story of a group with little training or equipment. A story that will never happen to me again. A story that directly affected 12 or so of us. And indirectly dozens more.

Sharing stuff like that is absolutely not easy to do. I had a hard time with the sharing part, but also thinking back and reliving the terror we all felt watching the avalanche break. The fact that no one was injured is such a miracle in itself.

I hope that you can share your story. It isn't necessary to out any names, but we all learn from knowing what went wrong I believe. It helps others share their stories too.

Take care!

 

[Shadam]

Wot really grinds my gears is that evry sled related avy becomes a big deal, but it is a fact the heli ski and cat ski ops do not share any info with the public. thus the sheeple think its ony us getting in avys. if the true number of avys and injuries were made available it would be shocking. I know several ppl who do and have worked at most of the opps around here, and there are some bad stories. like an enitre group of 12 skiers caught.

sorry to highjack the thread. I agree sharing info is important.

The main thing we have observed from all the avys we have been involved in is that at least 1 person in the group had a bad vibe.
Trust your gut instinct ...

 

[scotts]

Wot really grinds my gears is that evry sled related avy becomes a big deal, but it is a fact the heli ski and cat ski ops do not share any info with the public. thus the sheeple think its ony us getting in avys. if the true number of avys and injuries were made available it would be shocking. I know several ppl who do and have worked at most of the opps around here, and there are some bad stories. like an enitre group of 12 skiers caught.

sorry to highjack the thread. I agree sharing info is important.

The main thing we have observed from all the avys we have been involved in is that at least 1 person in the group had a bad vibe.
Trust your gut instinct ...[/QUOTE

Unfortunately the last while some of the higher profile events and fatality's have been within the sledding community, and has brought the spotlight on us! Many instances that happen within the heli/cat operations are delt with in house so to speak by their own professionals! And if extra resources are needed the nearest neighbours are on the way at a moments notice and the situations are delt with long before any outside resources are mobilized!
I think one of the big differences between the two backcountry user groups that you are talking about, ie: sledders vs heli or cat ski operations,is the general level of training and preparedness within the group! Relating to their ability to respond within the group eliminating the need for a full on Avsar event! I've been involved in three serious situations now in my sledding time! None of which were our actual crew but always as a first on the scene witness and each time now I'm amazed and disappointed at the lack of preparedness within the groups!
Incidents do happen out in the professionally run backcountry operations,every precaution is taken place to mitigate the risk but sometimes it's the nature of the business, but there is a huge difference in what happens in those critical moments after that determines whether or not it's discussed professionally through Info ex the next day or on Global news at 6:00

 

[MOMMA]

Wot really grinds my gears is that evry sled related avy becomes a big deal, but it is a fact the heli ski and cat ski ops do not share any info with the public. thus the sheeple think its ony us getting in avys. if the true number of avys and injuries were made available it would be shocking. I know several ppl who do and have worked at most of the opps around here, and there are some bad stories. like an enitre group of 12 skiers caught.

sorry to highjack the thread. I agree sharing info is important.

The main thing we have observed from all the avys we have been involved in is that at least 1 person in the group had a bad vibe.
Trust your gut instinct ...[/QUOTE

Unfortunately the last while some of the higher profile events and fatality's have been within the sledding community, and has brought the spotlight on us! Many instances that happen within the heli/cat operations are delt with in house so to speak by their own professionals! And if extra resources are needed the nearest neighbours are on the way at a moments notice and the situations are delt with long before any outside resources are mobilized!
I think one of the big differences between the two backcountry user groups that you are talking about, ie: sledders vs heli or cat ski operations,is the general level of training and preparedness within the group! Relating to their ability to respond within the group eliminating the need for a full on Avsar event! I've been involved in three serious situations now in my sledding time! None of which were our actual crew but always as a first on the scene witness and each time now I'm amazed and disappointed at the lack of preparedness within the groups!
Incidents do happen out in the professionally run backcountry operations,every precaution is taken place to mitigate the risk but sometimes it's the nature of the business, but there is a huge difference in what happens in those critical moments after that determines whether or not it's discussed professionally through Info ex the next day or on Global news at 6:00

I think you're on to something. If we had an Info ex type of internal dialogue that we could dissect, discuss and form an action plan to address the issues we as a user group face, that would help us tremendously. Circulate through clubs and associations, amp up education and training to have more professionals out there shaping our user group would help mitigate mistakes for sure. If there was a safe place to voice the mistakes and use them as a tool for change that would be awesome. It can't go out into main stream publications, as we know how things are twisted and turned for agenda. What if Sledcom was a resource? I always wondered why Info ex was such a secret entity. Thank you Scotts!

 

[scotts]

I think you're on to something. If we had an Info ex type of internal dialogue that we could dissect, discuss and form an action plan to address the issues we as a user group face, that would help us tremendously. Circulate through clubs and associations, amp up education and training to have more professionals out there shaping our user group would help mitigate mistakes for sure. If there was a safe place to voice the mistakes and use them as a tool for change that would be awesome. It can't go out into main stream publications, as we know how things are twisted and turned for agenda. What if Sledcom was a resource? I always wondered why Info ex was such a secret entity. Thank you Scotts!

I belive we do have such a venue now with the Mountain Information Network! More people in the sledding community need to be made aware of this resource and understand the information available on it!
I've always wondered the same about Info Ex but I think it needs to be the way it is to preserve its professional integrity! Secondly I'm not sure how much useful info could be gotten by the public without some background to make sence out of what they were reading!!

 

[MOMMA]

I belive we do have such a venue now with the Mountain Information Network! More people in the sledding community need to be made aware of this resource and understand the information available on it!
I've always wondered the same about Info Ex but I think it needs to be the way it is to preserve its professional integrity! Secondly I'm not sure how much useful info could be gotten by the public without some background to make sence out of what they were reading!!

MIN can be a valuable tool, but what I'm thinking is some who have no idea how to dissect their situation may not want to post it on the MIN network.. what if there was an extra resource that was a little more internal, where people could share their experience. Some of those involved in Avalanches and other incidents in the back country may not actually know how to express all that has gone wrong, or how to identify mistakes made. There are so many out there riding beyond their education and understanding. Having a resource to share, so that others may learn could perhaps be beneficial but more internal that could be shared within clubs rather than a public broadcast. MIN reports are awesome. I'm thinking of the rider who went out alone, perhaps didn't result in a SAR call out, but man was he cold by the time help arrived to get him out of predicament. The riders who went out into a new area, without resources to help them navigate and became disoriented, but made it home. All of these scenarios may not be news worthy, but it would be helpful to understand the mentality behind those types of choices. Anonymous when shared within the club network, but filled with truth of the decision making processes leading to the mistake? The man who passed away when he went out riding alone last year. From Drayton Valley. We read the news story, but only a select few know the intimate details. I wonder often, what lead up to this choice?

Something for us, to help us reach a better understanding of safety in the back country and how easily mistakes can be made.

 

[scotts]

I think you're on to something. If we had an Info ex type of internal dialogue that we could dissect, discuss and form an action plan to address the issues we as a user group face, that would help us tremendously. Circulate through clubs and associations, amp up education and training to have more professionals out there shaping our user group would help mitigate mistakes for sure. If there was a safe place to voice the mistakes and use them as a tool for change that would be awesome. It can't go out into main stream publications, as we know how things are twisted and turned for agenda. What if Sledcom was a resource? I always wondered why Info ex was such a secret entity. Thank you Scotts!

i think your onto something with the Sledcom idea though, but basically it's what people like Curtis have been doing for some time now!! Thanks as always to him for his never ending support to the sport! The trouble lies in trying to inform the uncaring and the unaware! There are ample resources out there for those who take an interest! It's the other 99% you need to figure out how to reach!

 

[scotts]

Sorry Trish, clearly I slowly one fingered my response trying to to respond before you! Lol!
i think it's a great idea! I'm just so frustrated any more, even within my own crew..... Maybe especially with them! For as much as the message is getting out, sometimes you would never know it! I was up in the alpine in Blue River a couple weeks ago and came across an guy sitting on his sled alone with nobody else in sight! I stopped to see if everything was ok.. Turns out he was riding alone. I urged him to tag along but after several urges and warnings from me he refused?? In the end I asked him what he was driving so I could make sure he was down and gone and left him to it! In the next breath I'm looking at one of my long time friends and notice that his bag Handel is zipped in!! I point it out in my normal WTF manner only to be told that we were tree riding and he didn't want to "catch it and besides nothing's gunna rip today".... As I slowly bang my helmet against my Handel bars!

 

[MOMMA]

Sorry Trish, clearly I slowly one fingered my response trying to to respond before you! Lol!
i think it's a great idea! I'm just so frustrated any more, even within my own crew..... Maybe especially with them! For as much as the message is getting out, sometimes you would never know it! I was up in the alpine in Blue River a couple weeks ago and came across an guy sitting on his sled alone with nobody else in sight! I stopped to see if everything was ok.. Turns out he was riding alone. I urged him to tag along but after several urges and warnings from me he refused?? In the end I asked him what he was driving so I could make sure he was down and gone and left him to it! In the next breath I'm looking at one of my long time friends and notice that his bag Handel is zipped in!! I point it out in my normal WTF manner only to be told that we were tree riding and he didn't want to "catch it and besides nothing's gunna rip today".... As I slowly bang my helmet against my Handel bars!

Holy crap man I feel exactly like you often. I think the only solution is to keep trying. We may get goose eggs on our foreheads but even if there is one person who gets it, it's worth it. That's why I'd like a more intimate way to share the mistakes and crap, and network it out. Real consequences and real action plans for a real result. I'm not burnt out yet, so I'm still in. Thank you so much for continuing on despite all the crap and frustration!

 

[moyiesledhead]

Sharing stuff like that is absolutely not easy to do.

I don't get that. I'm the first one to admit my mistakes, hoping maybe others won't have to learn it the hard way. I've learned way too much in life the hard way, and it sucks!

However......I've also learned that people are going to make their own decisions, and there's not much I can do to change that. I'll still sometimes make "friendly suggestions" when I see someone doing something obviously stupid, but for the most part I'm done with the frustration that comes with trying to change people. My dog is much easier to educate......and he never tells me to fawk off.

 

[niner]

After reading what had happened in Valemont reminded me of a incident not to long ago. I went to help a friend stuck on a hill. I rode up from the side about 100' over and was able to stop beside him and walked 100' sideways to get to him. We had him ready to go, then out of know where this hero comes along and loops us. As he comes beside we are yelling at him and then all of a sudden the whole hill WHUMPS. Felt like it dropped 6". He fires up his sled and gets out and I have to walk back to my sled. Longest 100' walk ever. Some lessons are hard to learn but we got lucky that day. It's hard waiting for a buddy to get out sometimes but like Curtis said you need to watch from a safe place to make sure they are ok.