Sierra Blogging Post Archives

Another weekend, another round of avalanche deaths. We've had a deadly start to 2009 in regards to avalanches, both in the U.S. and in British Columbia - and the majority of them are occurring due to snowmobiles.

A practice called "high-marking" caused at least two snowmobile deaths this weekend (there were 5 total - 3 in Montana, 2 in British Columbia). High-marking is when snowmobilers race up the side of a mountain to see how high they can get before they're forced to do a sharp U-turn and head back down. The practice can easily cause an avalanche if conditions are right.



From an article on Wikinews...

RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) spokesman Constable Craig Douglass was critical of snowmobilers not taking the necessary safety measures. "I don't know what goes through their minds, but I guess the fun outweighs the risks and they're making the choice to go into these areas."

Avalanches can be triggered by a skier, a snowboarder, or even a snow-shoer, but a 750-pound snowmobile is much more likely to cause an avalanche. And a pack of 750-pound high-marking snowmobiles are even more likely.

If you have a snowmobile, think twice before high-marking and stay out of avalanche-prone areas. It's unsafe, especially with conditions the way they are in the mountains right now. Be smart out there - we've lost too many lives already this season.