Earlier this week we had the chance to attend an Avalanche Alliance seminar sponsored by Klim and hosted by Finley Motorsports in Finley, North Dakota. In terms of topography, Finley is a stark contrast to any place in the Rocky Mountains, yet on this midweek night over 50 snow enthusiasts showed up at the Christian family’s booming dealership at the edge of a small farm town in Eastern NoDak.
The seminar was hosted by Klim’s Dustin Pancheri and featured well-known backcountry riders Matt Entz and Dan Adams. While this was not an avalanche training per say, it was a great primer on the basics of avalanche awareness and preparedness, with insight from three experienced riders who all recounted personal stories of a ride gone bad when either they, or someone in their party, became caught up in a slide.
In all three cases, the presenters were kitted with high-country survival gear but also expressed a common pre-event thought process which was “it’s not gonna happen to me.” Needless to say once it does happen, it’s more than likely going to be too late. And that was the focus of the evening.
Entz, who operates Mountain Skillz and Adams, whose company Nxt Lvl both provide riding and safety training at their respective facilities in Colorado and Wyoming. Their presentation styles both contrasted and complimented each other but delivered the same message over and over. The first point being always having the proper survival gear when riding in a potential avy zone and the second being don’t just wear it, but know how to use it.
At one time during the evening the guys squared off in a survival situation, including a number of audience members who had brought their own gear. On Pancheri’s count, the would-be riders went from full dress to full search mode with airbags deployed, probes extended and transceivers in hand. Entz posted a winning time of 38 seconds and stressed that he has a dedicated section in his backpack with items such as probe, shovel blade and handle all in a specific location. His efficiency is a result of regular practice removing his pack and locating and assembling pieces the same way every time.
The seminar also included a number of videos showing riders getting caught in slides, breaking down the various conditions which can lead to trouble. Slides most often occur on slopes of 30-45º with 38º being the most common. Again, studying the area you are going to ride in advance and having local avalanche intel is a key part of the being prepared model. There are numerous places to get this information, including avalanche.org.
While there are several companies who make packs, airbags and probes, we would suggest starting with Klim who has really stepped up in support of the Avalanche Alliance, as well as Finley Motorsports who has a great inventory of mountain safety gear and ships product daily. Full-on avalanche safety courses are taught throughout the mountain states but again, we would recommend supporting the guys who have hands-on knowledge of your specific needs as a first time or long-time mountain rider.
Mountain Skillz – mountainskillz.com
Nxt Lvl – nextlevelclinics.com
