So you’ve attended an avalanche briefing, and you’re up-to-date on the latest avalanche activity … you’re prepared to handle a serious situation, right? Wrong. It would be nice if they didn’t exist, but avalanches are a dangerous reality when it comes to riding snowmobiles in the mountains. Fortunately, there are many resources available to help you deal with avalanches safely and effectively.
Yamaha understands the hazards involved with mountain riding, that’s why every Nytro MTX sold is available with a free BCA Mountain Kit—the only manufacturer to do so.
“It’s a start, but riders need more than equipment to safely handle an avalanche,” says Yamaha Motor Canada’s Western Regional Sales Manager, Randy Swenson. “Yamaha’s commitment to providing riders with the tools necessary for avalanche safety goes beyond the BCA Kits. We strongly advise riders to attend accredited Avalanche training courses. Anything less is not sufficient.”
Avalanche education was presented at Yamaha’s Western dealer meetings, with 200 dealers signing up for accredited training courses. From that, many dealers have partnered with programs like HangFire and TriggerPoint to offer courses to customers in their stores.
“Too many people are ‘depending on’ these free awareness seminars which do not include the level of knowledge and training appropriate to dealing with a real life avalanche situation,” adds Swenson. “Don’t be fooled into thinking you are properly prepared. Yamaha urges you to pay the $300 and sign up for an AST-1 level course—it is the only way to develop the skills you will require to save lives.
For a complete listing of dates and courses offered, please visit www.trigger-point.ca or www.hangfiretraining.com. Additional information can be found at www.avalanche.ca and avalanche.org.
To learn more about Yamaha’s BCA Mountain Kit sales program, go to Yamaha-motor.ca.
