Grand Forks Search and Rescue (GFSAR) is reminding outdoor enthusiasts to be prepared for avalanches when enjoying alpine regions across the Boundary.
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President Spencer Novokshenoff said GF SAR volunteers came across avalanche conditions predicted by Avalanche Canada during a recent training exercise on the Paulson summit. Alternating freeze and thaw cycles in late February left an unstable “crest” of hardened snow over a layer of softer snow, which Novokshenoff noted was favourable to avalanches.
The biggest avalanche danger is “not knowing the risk,” he explained. To that point, Novakshenoff warned people not to venture into alpine terrain alone.
“The number-one thing you need to have with you out there is another person,” he said. Boundary snowmobilers and backcountry skiers and snowboarders should also carry avalanche probes and shovels and know how to use them. Proper avalanche training is available through the website avalanche.ca, he suggested.
Novokshenoff also recommended that alpine enthusiasts carry personal locator beacons, or PLBs. These hand-held devices can pin-point one’s location after an avalanche or an outdoor accident if they’re used properly and kept within reach.
“We’ve had call outs in the last couple of years where they’ve made all the difference,” he said. Though expensive — Novokshenoff said PLBs retail at around $450 — they can “turn a search and rescue into just a rescue.”
GF SAR has not been called to make any search and rescues in 2021, which Novokshenoff said was “unusual” heading into spring. The organization responded to 10 calls last year, he said.
GF SAR covers an area stretching roughly from the Paulson Summit to Bridesville on Hwy 3, extending westward to the Carmi area on Hwy 33. The organization is looking for more volunteers, he said. For information about how to join, email GFSAR enquiry@gfsar.ca, he said.
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laurie.tritschler@grandforksgazette.ca
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@ltritsch1
laurie.tritschler@boundarycreektimes.com
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