Guide to Snowmobile Safety and Survival

As winter snowfall blankets the mountainous landscape, the thrill of adventure fuels snowmobilers to explore the frozen wonderland. However, with all the excitement, it is crucial to prioritize safety and preparedness. Within the guide, we'll talk about the importance of snowmobile safety, along with needed survival tips and strategies to ensure your winter adventures are not only fun, but also secure and safe.

Understanding the Terrain:

Knowing where you are snowmobiling is very important. There are many factors that take into consideration when planning that trip. "How much snow is there? Where will we be going? What should I expect?" Mother nature is extremely unforgiving, and if you go out unprepared, the consequences could be not only your life, but the others around you as well. You always want to check the weather conditions before you head out on your trip. It is crucial that you have the correct layers and gear before heading out into the unknown wild. Being familiar with the terrain you are riding is crucial for safety when riding a snowmobile. You need to know the potential hazards, such as steep slopes, and frozen bodies of water. I have a little story to educate you on the importance of this... Every year, my brother, father and I take a trip to Island Park, Idaho. It is the capital for backcountry snowmobiling. My dad's childhood friend, Randy, is a search and rescue worker for the county during the winter months. Last year, my dad was able to get there a couple days before my brother and I due to bad weather. My dad, waiting in the hotel at about Eight o'clock in the evening, got a text from Randy that said, "Got a call for a search, need all hands, can you help?" Of course, my dad replied, "Where and when? I'll be there." My dad met up with Randy, they gathered-up supplies, and started the search. They had an idea where the missing person was, but with the weather, and rapidly dropping temperatures, they had to call it a night at around eleven in the evening. The next day, other search and rescue workers found the missing person. They were stuck underneath the snowmobile in a river, they had sadly drowned. The reason why my dad and Randy never found him was because after he had fallen through the snow into the river, the wind covered the hole with snow, and he was essentially invisible until the next morning when wind had shifted. All of this happened because he was unfamiliar with the terrain he was riding. If he would've stayed on the trail, it may have never happened. Bless his family for their loss. Understanding trail markers and maps is also a crucial part of safety. Trail markers will help guide you away from unmarked obstacles, such as a snow bridge, or sharp rocks. A snow bridge is when snow is pushed over the top of a river, making it seem like a bridge, but let me warn you, this can be some of the most unstable snow, and if you break through, you're stuck, and wet, and those two things together doesn't equal anything good at all.

Preparing your Snowmobile:

Keeping your snowmobile in good condition is much needed for consistency through-out the riding season. You don't want to have problems with your snowmobile when you go out into the backcountry, that can lead to massive consequences. Proper preseason maintenance is required before you ever start you snowmobile up for the season. Making sure your belts are in check, your skis are aligned, and your clutches are moving smoothly are crucial checks that you need to complete before even thinking about taking your sled out to ride for the season. Carrying essential tools is also crucial for emergency service on your sled. All snowmobiles come with a clutch tool, which allows you to loosen the clutch to remove, or put on a belt. You should have a basic tool kit that includes wrenches, screwdrivers, extra straps, and smaller spare parts in case of a breakdown. Having extra tools to make minor repairs can mean the difference between a minor hiccup, and a major hiccup. You do not want to be stuck overnight out in the cold. Having emergency supplies is a must in the backcountry. Like I said before, mother nature is very unforgiving, and you don't want to be on the short end of that straw. Having a first aid kit, flashlight or headlamp with extra batteries, extra clothing, survival blanket, some non-perishable food, and a communication device such as a Garmin or a satellite phone, are needed for everyday backcountry adventures. Prepare and prevent, don't repair and repent.

Riding Responsibility:

Knowing your skill level is very important. My saying is "If you don't get stuck, you're not trying hard enough," but by all means, never push yourself out of you comfort zone. Overestimating your abilities can lead to accidents, and we don't want that to happen. Following speed limits is also very important for safety when riding your snowmobile. Although your snowmobile may be quite a bit faster than that posted speed limit, having control is most important. Act as if you are driving your car. Stay on the right side of the trail, and definitely, absolutely, no cutting corners. Cutting corners can lead to head on collisions, and those can be very dangerous, and sometimes fatal. Maintaining a safe distance between the people in front of you and behind you is also important. You never want to be far enough away to where you can't see either the people behind you or in front of you, so maintain a reasonable distance to ensure safety. As the leader of the group, you should stop at every fork in the road, this will eliminate the possibility of having the group suddenly split up and go in two different directions. Being the tail of the group, your job is to make sure that everyone stays in front of you. This rider is usually one of the most experienced out of the group. The tail rider should have first aid, and a tool kit in case anyone in front has a sudden breakdown. Never leave a buddy behind.

Safety Gear:

Wearing proper clothing is a must when heading out on your ride into the backcountry. Investing in proper snowmobile gear is crucial. Personally, I would say never buy anything used, but everyone has their own preferences on equipment. Take care of your gear, and it will take care of you. Especially in regions that are avalanche prone, you need avalanche safety gear. This includes an avalanche beacon, avalanche backpack, probe, rope, and a shovel. When riding in avalanche terrain, it is always best to test the snow before you ride. To do this, you want to find a smaller slope of thirty degrees. Almost all cell phones have a leveling app installed, but if you didn't bring your phone, then you should bring a smaller compass so you can navigate to the correct degree of the slope. Once you have identified the slope, you'll want to take your shovel and dig all the way to the dirt. This step can take a while, so having a team effort will make it be accomplished faster. If you are with a group of people, you'll want to set up in a single file row, about 6 feet apart from one another. This way, as the first-person scoops snow out, the second person can move that snow, and so on. That way you don't end up with one huge pile of snow right over the hole that you dug. Once the hole is dug, you use your probes to cut a column of the snow. Place you probes about 3 feet back from the hole you dug and use the rope the cut a column. You'll want to put the rope behind the probes so you can slide it down to the bottom. Almost all shovels come with a little emergency saw, you'll want to get that out cut a column about a foot into the right of the column you just created. Once you've done that, you'll take your shovel head, and place it on top on the column of snow. This is where this gets more technical. For the first ten taps, you just want to rest your hand on top of the shovel, and gentle drop it down. You'll repeat those 10 times. If you see a fracture (crack) happen within that snow column you cut in the previous steps, the snow is very unstable. At that point, you'll want to avoid all step slopes and the avalanche danger is high. If that doesn't happen, you'll continue with the tap, only a little bit harder. You'll continue to do this until you are actually raising your hand in the air and slapping it back down on the shovel. As you go through testing the snow, if you don't see any fractures, the snow is stable. But caution is always advised. Snow texture can change through-out the day with exposure to sun and wind, so always use caution when exploring in the backcountry. If you are ever in a situation where you or a riding buddy is stuck in an avalanche, time is of the essence. The likelihood of surviving in an avalanche is very low after about 30 minutes. Good rule of thumb is that when you are hill climbing, or in any avalanche area, that only one person is on the hill at a time, and the others watch. Having eyes on people on the hill is crucial in case an avalanche starts so you can go to an area closest to where you saw them last. But in the end, I recommend taking an avalanche safety course to learn the inside and out of avalanche safety.

Survival Strategies:

To say the least, shit does happen sometimes, and it's very important to stay calm and composed during those times of high stress. Having panic can impair your judgement and decision-making skills. Staying calm is crucial and will allow you to carefully assess the situation at hand and find a safe solution. Knowing how to build a basic shelter is very important. Believe it or not, snow is a natural insulator. Digging a snow cave will be your best bet for survival. It will keep you away from the wind and outside elements, along with help you produce the needed body heat to survive. If you don't have a survival blanket, you'll want to go and get branches of trees, particularly some sort of pine tree. You'll use these as your bed to sleep on, and well as a door for your snow cave to block out any extra wind that may get through. It will be uncomfortable, it'll suck, but in the end, these methods can help you survive when emergencies arise in the backcountry. If you are unable to continue, maybe because of a broken part, it's important to know how to make signals to rescuers can see you. Steps to do this will include walking a big X in the snow. If you are in a tree'd area, you'll want to go find the most open field nearby. Walk that X as big as possible so it's easy for a passing helicopter or plane to see. The next step you'll want to do is walk an arrow in the direction of your camp so that they can assume what direction you are in. If you can get a fire started, that is a plus, but getting a fire started in the frozen wilderness isn't easy. Another method is laying tree branches down in the letters SOS. Forests contain many trees that have died, and if you can use those to your advantage to make a signal, that is super ideal. Remember while doing this, you want to make sure that you regulate your breathing and body temperature. You do not want to sweat. Sweating can cause hypothermia, and that is extremely bad news when you are out in the backcountry trying to survive. Most importantly, you should never give up. Find that motivation to survive, and never, ever, give up.

Remember that safety and preparedness are crucial to heading out into the backcountry. By understanding the terrain, maintaining your snowmobile, riding responsibly, wearing proper safety gear, and having emergency survival strategies in place, you can go out and enjoy the special winter wonderland of mother nature, while minimizing the unnecessary risks. Take in the thrill but do so with a commitment to safety that makes each journey a memorable experience.

Use caution and tear up the backcountry this winter season!

Stay Wild!