As winter sets in the last frontier, backcountry enthusiasts are preparing to stay safe where they will likely be on their own. Preparation for those adventures includes learning how to protect themselves and others from the dangers of avalanches.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - As winter sets in the last frontier, backcountry enthusiasts are preparing to stay safe where they will likely be on their own. Preparation for those adventures includes learning how to protect themselves and others from the dangers of avalanches.
is teaching folks about avalanche safety as the season begins. This includes an introduction to avalanche safety that took place at Beaver Sports in Fairbanks Monday night. EARAC hosts presentations and workshops on avalanche safety “to prevent fatalities,” said Mark Oldmixon, a volunteer with the organization. Oldmixon said the key takeaway for folks is to learn the basics of equipment and how to use it. “The beacon, shovel, probe are the absolute requirements before you head out into the mountains,” he explained. “If an avalanche happens, to be able to do rescue appropriately, you need those three pieces of gear.” He said he hopes attendees also learned about which conditions put them at greater risk of being in an avalanche. “Maybe that will give them pause to say... is this the right place for me to be at this time? And some of those red flags are recent avalanches, shooting cracks, or whooping sounds underneath the snow, recent wind events, heavy snowfall or rain or rapid warming weather conditions.” Forecasting conditions was also a big part of that education which included learning where to find that information and what locations lack forecasting data. “We’re trying to give folks the knowledge that there is a forecast in some areas and because there’s not one here, you have to be even more reliant on your own awareness and a little bit of data that is available to make some educated choices,” he said. Oldmixon thinks that lack of forecasting data in the Interior could put some folks in the area at greater risk of a fatality. “We’ve got a broad base of users, both human power and snow machine users. And we want to have that forecast opportunity in the future just to reduce the chance,” he explained. “We’ve done a great job in the last 10 years of reducing that, but the usership is climbing tremendously as the gear gets better and gear gets more affordable and it’s becoming more and more popular.” That’s why EARAC is focusing on making sure people have the necessary gear. “Just like we prepare our cars for the winter, we prepare our snow machines and ourselves for the winter conditions. But there’s always a few that we need to continue to preach that message and get it out there,” Oldmixon said. Lastly, the folks from EARAC warned attendees about the need to not let certain mindsets put them in a bad situation. Mindsets such as feeling safe due to your familiarity with an area, peer pressure, trying to reach a goal, and trying to go where others have gone regardless of skill level or condition changes. “We want to discuss that now so that when I go out with my friends, we have a mature conversation ahead of time of like, here’s everybody’s expectations,” Oldmixon said. “We’ve got to think about the group dynamics, not just the snow, not just the nerdy science piece, but the social anthropological piece is just as valuable, if not more important.” Josh Baurick, a member of the ski team for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, attended the presentation despite being an avid and experienced skier himself. “I feel like it’s always important to learn more,” he explained when asked why he was there.Federal judge accused of misconduct disbarred by Alaska Supreme CourtBack-to-back military crashes in the interior lead to multiple injuries near Birch LakeBorough mayor proposes funding for water meter maintenance at parks
Mark Oldmixon EARAC Eastern Alaska Range Avalanche Center Forecasting Shovel Probe Beacon Backcountry Avalanche Beaver Sports Fairbanks
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