The annual Avalanche Alliance tour wrapped up a very successful Midwest tour this week. The clinics, led by veteran backcountry riders Matt Enz, Dan Adams and Dustin Pancheri are held in cooperation with area dealer open houses in which they present the various dangers of avalanches and the importance of proper training and discussing backcountry safety.
The recent tour kicked off at Moon Motorsports in Monticello, Minnesota and wrapped up on Thursday in Deadwood, South Dakota. One of the more popular stops over the last couple seasons has been Finley Motorsports in Finley, North Dakota. Despite being located in what might be the most complete opposite terrain from avalanche country, Finley’s customer base, like many riders in the Midwest, has made an annual trek or two to the mountains a regular part of their riding schedules.
We checked in with Kelsey Christian after the event in Finley, who reported they had approximately 45 attendees at their location, the majority of which had never attended an avalanche seminar. “Matt, Dan and Dustin presented a lot of new information since their last visit two years ago”, said Christian. “It was very interactive with some participating in rapid deployment challenges and others having their personal survival gear inspected by the pros.”
