50 AMERICAN SNOWMOBILER • http://www.AmSnow.com■ RIDE SMART
come from
within the
snowmobile
culture -it
couldn’t come from skiers.”
“The places we ride are a harsh learn-
ing environment,” added Will. “One poorly
made decision can lead to extreme conse-
quences. By furthering your avalanche
education, you can make good, calculated
decisions so that you actually know when
it’s a good day to just make pow turns in a
meadow, or to spend it in steep terrain.”
The week before our course, Will and
Matt had spent a few days continuing
their own education with Duncan as well
as other certified instructors, including
Matt Entz, refreshing their knowledge of
the AIARE curriculum. This “always learn-
ing” approach to avalanche education and
safety is a constant message throughoutthe course and in AIARE materials. In
fact, the AIARE Fieldbook states, “Practice
avalanche rescue not just at the beginning
of the season, but also throughout the
season to keep your skills sharp.”■ (^) Scenic Safaris
Our class of five convened with Will and
Matt on a Friday morning just before
Christmas in Jackson. Their approach to
this three-day “Decision Making in
Avalanche Terrain” course is a combina-
tion of morning classroom sessions at a
facility provided by Scenic Safaris followed
by afternoons on the mountain near
Togwotee for the first two days, with the
third day all in the field.
Day one was initially daunting. I felt
overwhelmed looking at the course guide,
by the planning that Will and Matt
described, and by the AIARE Backcountry
Decision-Making Guide that we were
given. All sorts of new terms, and I won-
dered if I would be able to absorb this
information.
After about an hour, that feeling began
to subside as the pair patiently took us
through the curriculum. There’s a great
mix of materials – video, data, and discus-
sion points – that keep you engaged, and
there’s plenty of coffee.
Our first day on the mountain had us
learning to run an actual rescue. We were
taught to use our transceivers with practi-
The Adam Andersen
Avalanche Project was estab-
lished last year to honor ava-
lanche victim Adam Andersen, a
vivacious, fun-loving friend, son,
brother, husband, and father of
our three young children. The
loss of Adam has left a large
imprint in the hearts of many.
Adam was snowmobiling in
the Mount Jefferson area of
Island Park, Idaho, with two
friends on Jan. 10, 2018.
Neither Adam, nor the others in
his group were equipped with
proper safety gear and were
not aware of the avalanche
conditions that day.
Adam was caught and fully
buried while cutting up a steep
gully. His friends and volunteers
searched frantically for hours,
but with no success. Fremont
County Search and Rescue
was forced to postpone the
search until the next day in an
effort to keep others safe. The
next morning, Adam’s body
was located within five minutes,
less than 10 feet from his
snowmobile and only 18 inches
below the snow’s surface.
■ Mountain riders need
to know
Sadly, in the 2017-2018 season
there were 25 reported ava-
lanche fatalities, in the United
States, 12 (including Adam)
were snowmobilers.
As snowmobiling continues
to grow in popularity, and many
begin to explore the new chal-
lenge of snow biking, it is
imperative that the riding com-
munity becomes more aware.
The “it won’t happen to me”
mindset is dangerous to those
who lack avalanche education.
The high cost of safety gear
also may deter riders from pur-
chasing it. The Project was
started to help change these
things and cut the number of
fatalities.
Avalanche safety gear,
including airbag, probe, shovel,
and beacon, are now available
to rent for free at High
Mountain Adventures in Island
Park, Idaho, and at Action
Motor Sports in Idaho Falls,
Idaho through the Project. It
also has provided avalanche
warning signs that are now
posted at every trailhead in
Island Park and has helped
host two avalanche awareness
events along with Action
Motorsports.
SUMMER ANDERSEN LOST HER HUSBAND,
THE FATHER OF THEIR THREE CHILDREN,
TO AN AVALANCHE IN JANUARY OF 2018
AND SHE’S WORKING TO ENSURE THAT NO
SUCH TRAGEDY HAPPENS AGAIN
ANDERSEN FAMILY Adam,
Summer, and their three children.
Summer wrote this article for us!
ADAM ANDERSEN AVALANCHE PROJECT
JUST A CLICK
AWAY The BC
Link 2.0 from
BCA is a next
generation
radio made for
mountain
riders.