What does it take?

[MOMMA]

We preach.. ask... try to educate... what does it take in powersports to dispel the myths surrounding the use of safety equipment?

We have had access to some pretty gruesome stories.. that, because they've been shared, have prompted action for those who thought they simply didn't need the equipment suggested.

for me There were a few situations that made a difference when I showed some of our Main Jet customers.. some purchased the equipment from us, some didn't.. but the most important factor was because they Knew better. they did better...
Here are the ones I used, I'm not sure where the links are now, but they would be great to have handy to refer to.. Post yours if you have them.
1. I don't ride in an area that needs a beacon, shovel or probe...
There were 2 vids that helped me get peeps out there with beacons. One was an Avalanche in Ontario.. Completely buried the rider. the video footage showed their shock, dismay and panic when they realized their buddy was buried. The other one was that slough off a Logging road that covered a rider. It was heavy snow.. This one was a good vid to showcase why it isn't a great idea to ride alone, even if it was on a logging road.
2. The tether.. there was a story on Snowest, then shared here about a gentleman who was pinned beneath his sled. The sled was boosted, so the damage it did to his arm was horrific. People came into the store (clarkydubs) among them saying. we need All people to use a tether.. read this.

this is why our sharing community is valuable to the sport. Forums may be a haven for Trolls sometimes, but don't underestimate the power reaching out can do. It may save lives.
What other situations can you think of that give a deeper perspective into what it takes to stay safe?

 

[Himark]

another big one for me is knowing how to use the gear. sure a guy has all the gear....but hasn't a clue on how to use it. one pet peeve of mine (others i ride with too) is strapping their shovel and probe to their sled.

why on earth people do this...still boggles me. keep it on you...at all times. nothing worse than sitting down at the bottom of a hill, it lets go, you get out but your sled is rolled over or buried beneath the snow and your buddy on the hill is buried. your probe and shovel strapped to your sled. valuable seconds/minutes are dispersed tryin to get TO your safety gear. mean while you could be on your way over to the victim, stat!

its not just in avy's. i have seen a guy get stuck in a tree well...sled upside down...shovel probe strapped to his sled. after some serious time later, seeing him diggin form afar, i rode up to him. he hadnt even got to his shovel in nearly 10mins of diggin. its just dumb.


well IMO...

 

[moyiesledhead]

i have seen a guy get stuck in a tree well...sled upside down...shovel probe strapped to his sled. after some serious time later, seeing him diggin form afar, i rode up to him. he hadnt even got to his shovel in nearly 10mins of diggin. its just dumb.

See this all the time. Excuse is "It's a pain in the azz to get my shovel out of my pack." Pretty easy to solve that problem. That's why I have a second shovel strapped to my sled.

 

[OOC ZigZag]

What it takes is diligence persistance and often a personal experience to prompt peeps to go for the added safety equipment. It should near be law to ride back country beacon probe and shovel as min safety equip and know how to use them. The tether thing I've posted pics of Bex's legs after the M1 wound out WOT ontop of his thighs for a couple secs and permanent nerve damage was the result. The avy equip I preach hard. I've dealt with the aftermath on a couple diffrent occasions and man I'm telling ya if any equip would have prevented the accidents the remaining family members would have had to deal with a scary story instead of a funeral I'm all for any gear that will help in the event of an avy. Reaper you r missed. R.I.P

 

[Himark]

See this all the time. Excuse is "It's a pain in the azz to get my shovel out of my pack." Pretty easy to solve that problem. That's why I have a second shovel strapped to my sled.

idiots eh? hard to get it off your back? its 2 clips and the pack is off. i have mine velcro'd to the outside of my pack. i wonder what is more of a PITA...having to dig your sled out with your hands, flip your sled over.....only to get to your shovel...LMAO

 

[yammyboy]

I've had people tell me they don't need a shovel cause they just won't get stuck but when I tell them you can't choose when a avalanche is going to happen or when your gonna get stuck. They just say don't let it happen. Some people should never be aloud in the mountains if they think like that

 

[maxwell]

what really burns Willy is... people that say they have a prob but dont know how to use one " whats that a log or a human ??? " their are different types of probing and prob lines ! ive never ever seen a sled group do a practice probe line like an avalanche scenario besides my group. and timing is key for using a beacon if u are fumbling around to switch yer beacon and then dont really know how to use it in accuracy and good time then u might as well text the morg with yer iphone .

Probe lines are for mass burials or when the rider is not wearing a beacon. You should use a spiral pattern once you have located the buried person with your beacon.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9780 using Tapatalk

 

[OOC ZigZag]

probe lines are for mass burials or when the rider is not wearing a beacon. You should use a spiral pattern once you have located the buried person with your beacon.

Sent from my blackberry 9780 using tapatalk

is that true brett rasmussen is on brp product now lol.

 

[enis750]

heres one ...

NONE of the new Pro's come w a tether, yet Polaris sells an OEM PLUG AND PLAY part for like $18
I installed my own w ZERO MILES on my sled, in like 25 mins
why aren't the dealers who sell these mountain machines, installing them prior to the sled leaving the dealership?
I will guarantee there isnt ONE mountain rider that wouldnt mind paying the additional $50 (inluding the install) to actually have a tether

so whos to blame, the dealer or the OEM ..... ???

just sayin ....

 

[MOMMA]

heres one ...

NONE of the new Pro's come w a tether, yet Polaris sells an OEM PLUG AND PLAY part for like $18
I installed my own w ZERO MILES on my sled, in like 25 mins
why aren't the dealers who sell these mountain machines, installing them prior to the sled leaving the dealership?
I will guarantee there isnt ONE mountain rider that wouldnt mind paying the additional $50 (inluding the install) to actually have a tether

so whos to blame, the dealer or the OEM ..... ???

just sayin ....

Enis I totally agree. I have brought it up and I will continue to bring it up. Make lots of noise people. I believe ever sled should come with a tether from the factory for sure. Every sled we sell, we suggest a tether, and the story that I mention is the story I mentioned in my first post.
We'll keep on trying till it just comes factory.

 

[OOC ZigZag]

I can't resist a quick brand dig mine DOO's have one stock.

 

[moyiesledhead]

I can't resist a quick brand dig mine DOO's have one stock.

Ya....with a computer chip in it that falls out when you least expect it.....then your sled won't start. Learned the hard way!

 

[polaris011]

funny thing for me is the more time i spend wasting on the computer here reading stories and learning more about avalanches and so on it just seems to make me more aware when im out.... its kinda like anything in life the more you learn about anything it seems the most important thing is being safe and using common or not so common sense .

 

[powderhoundbrr]

Go to Quartz on any given day and you will be horrified with the antics of the people there. There will always be dumb people with lots of money sledding and there is nothing you can do to teach them. People like this who have not grown up in the mountains will always underestimate them.

I honestly think that any education for sledders is a lost cause for 40%.

When I consider all the courses and training my ski buddies and I have taken over the years (months worth) compared to an above average sledder who has taken a day or 2 of avalanche safety it is no surprise that sledders are dangerous. And I'm not saying my sh$t doesn't stink because I do dumb stuff from time to time as well. But I ski and sled about 50 / 50 and I can tell you that when we ski our decision making is way more conservative. Again not saying that skiers don't make errors too but they seem have and seek way more training and knowledge.

You are also fighting demographics. Now I am not saying that this applies to all sledders but the majority of people out there are young men, with lots of money, and lower educations. This is probably the worst and hardest demographic to try an teach safety too. Again not saying it is everyone but definitely a high proportion of people out there.

In my view it is going to be next to impossible to "get the word out". There will always just be people who don't listen and are too cocky to apply what they have learned. Unfortunately there will more headlines this winter too and there is nothing you can do about it. It would suck to be a CAC representative trying to tackle this problem.

 

[MOMMA]

Go to Quartz on any given day and you will be horrified with the antics of the people there. There will always be dumb people with lots of money sledding and there is nothing you can do to teach them. People like this who have not grown up in the mountains will always underestimate them.

I honestly think that any education for sledders is a lost cause for 40%.

When I consider all the courses and training my ski buddies and I have taken over the years (months worth) compared to an above average sledder who has taken a day or 2 of avalanche safety it is no surprise that sledders are dangerous. And I'm not saying my sh$t doesn't stink because I do dumb stuff from time to time as well. But I ski and sled about 50 / 50 and I can tell you that when we ski our decision making is way more conservative. Again not saying that skiers don't make errors too but they seem have and seek way more training and knowledge.

You are also fighting demographics. Now I am not saying that this applies to all sledders but the majority of people out there are young men, with lots of money, and lower educations. This is probably the worst and hardest demographic to try an teach safety too. Again not saying it is everyone but definitely a high proportion of people out there.

In my view it is going to be next to impossible to "get the word out". There will always just be people who don't listen and are too cocky to apply what they have learned. Unfortunately there will more headlines this winter too and there is nothing you can do about it. It would suck to be a CAC representative trying to tackle this problem.

This, my friend, is why Sled Clubs and Industry organizations are important. Unifying people with a like mindset develops a new Norm. Because the shift of mentality is more on the responsible educated rider, they create and pave the way for other riders to follow in their footsteps.

International Take a Newbie Shredding day, is a prime example. If we have educated, responsible riders introducing newbies to the sport, it will just go without saying that education and responsibility are simply a part of sledding. Darwin may or may not intervene with less responsible riders, but we can mould the riders of tomorrow into ones who bring pride to our sport.
For me, I'm starting in the schools, starting them off with Winter safety, and survival, helping little ones understand that Winter can be a wonderful playground when enjoyed responsibly. It isn't just about avalanches in my classes. My teen classes and I discussed the effect of alcohol on the body in severe temperatures, among other more in depth age appropriate topics.

The power of One.. don't underestimate it.

 

[MOMMA]

yes drinking and sledding is a NO NO ,sure dont want some drunk stumbling guy trying to dig me out .

Theres that factor of course, but the other factors the kids have learned is how Alcohol effects the bodies ability to stay warm.

Alcohol and Drug abuse can increse the risk of hypothermia in 2 ways. Because of an impaired state of mind, you may lack Judgement, and physical sensation may be numbed. Alcohol also creates a dialation of blood vessels, which decreases the body's ability to compensate for cold exposure. I have heard horror stories of people who have been out and about in the winter, drinking/partying, only to pass out in a snowbank. Frostbite, hypothermia, and sometimes even death is a result.
Now not all of this is soley applicable to sledding, but teaching our youth respect for the Winter beast, which can sometimes be vicious, can be a precurser to being a responsible winter back country enthusiast.

 

[enis750]

Ya....with a computer chip in it that falls out when you least expect it.....then your sled won't start. Learned the hard way!

so did a buddy of mine
im getting the dealer to program a second one for me before I even bring my XM home
cause you never know