Participants work on digging out the "victim."

CREEDE— The Snow County Explorers organized an Avalanche Awareness and Companion Rescue seminar for the people of Creede. The class was developed for snowmobilers, but everyone was welcome to attend and learn about avalanche safety.

Randy Engle of Colorado State Parks presented a slide show to the participants and focused on teaching in a fun way. He also took the group out to experience first hand what they had just learned in the community center.

More than just club members showed up for the class, Jeff Johnson of the local search and rescue were there and assisted Engle with the outdoor portion of the class. Snowshoers and cross country skiers were there as well. Engle pointed out that the Colorado mountains are perfect for many different sports, which brings people here to play in the snow. He said that Colorado has the highest population of the mountain states; it also has the most snow deaths by state.

Engle also volunteered to test participants' machines to see if they met the new emission standards that will go into effect on July 1. The noise law effects all ATVs, not just snowmobiles; it is intended to make outdoor activities more pleasant for everyone. Engle suggests getting the test done early to avoid getting a ticket later.

Engle told the class that the people most likely to be caught in an avalanche are snowmobilers, with backcountry skiers being second.

When the time is right to go and play in the snow, Engle reminds everyone that they need the proper stuff. An avalanche snow shovel with a metal blade is needed for a possible rescue. It would also be a useful tool in starting a small fire in case of an emergency. Each person should also have a backpack on them rather than on the machine. It is very important for each person to have their beacon properly secured to their body. If a person is separated from their machine they will want to have the possibly life-saving beacon on them.

Engle prepared the class for the possible realities they would face in the event of an avalanche. He listed the things to expect when a victim is found and dug out. They could be dead, unconscious, hypothermic and may even be blue. They could also have asphyxiation, traumatic injuries, snow plugs and ice masks.

If a victim is found within 15 minutes, there is a 90 percent chance of survival. The chance of survival shrinks to 75 percent after 30 minutes. According to Engle, 75 percent of avalanche related deaths are caused by asphyxiation, the other 25 percent are from trauma.

Relying on search and rescue can take two and a half hours dramatically reducing the chances of survival. The reality is that the people onsite when the avalanche happens are the real rescue team.

Engle also gave the class information to try to remember if they were the person caught in an avalanche. He said it is important to yell to teammates to alert them of the avalanche and possibly their location, but then to shut their mouth to try to keep snow out of their airway. If at all possible the victim should put a hand up toward the sky, and before the snow stops they should try to clear an air space in front of their face. The victim should try to not panic, and stay calm to preserve air.

The process to find a buried teammate is the opposite of what most people are taught. A rescuer must run, then walk, then crawl when using a beacon to find another person. Run when trying to find the first signal, walk to narrow down the location and crawl to find the depth and exact location of the buried person. Engle suggested looking in locations similar to where you would cast a fishing line in the summer. Bends, dips, trees, outcroppings, eddies and pools are all good places to start a search. If the victim was snowmobiling they will likely be found within 20 feet of their machine.

Engle said to “be the nerd” and stay at the trailhead until everyone has had the talk.

More information can be found at the Colorado Avalanche Information Center: http://avalanche.co.us



















For the complete article see the 02-04-2010 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 02-04-2010 paper.