Working in the mountains requires a whole new level of emergency preparedness. Make sure you have what it takes to start and end your workday safely.
Anyone who works or plays in the mountains can picture it. And there are an infinite number of YouTube videos if you can’t.
A pristine bed of powder on top of what seems like the tallest mountain peak on earth, sparkling like a bed of diamonds under a cloudless blue sky. An enthusiast of the mountains has attached a GoPro to their helmet. Flip to the obligatory shot of ski tips hanging over the edge of where they’re about to drop in. Said drop in occurs.
Wind rushes the GoPro’s microphone as the blinding white scenery whips through the camera’s field of vision. A mountain of fresh powder truly is one of nature’s most beautiful offerings.
Then from the periphery of the shot, it becomes cloudy. Sound becomes muffled. Visibility nil. All within about three seconds.
The mountain enthusiast is living their worst nightmare: they’ve been caught in an avalanche.
The windy sound from before turns to a low, constant roar, matched with an odd scratching noise as snow bombards the GoPro and all its parts – not to mention the person it’s strapped to.
But alongside the roaring of snow and ragged, intermittent breathing of the mountain enthusiast comes something that sounds like a vacuum being switched on and off and on again.
The mountain enthusiast has pulled their airbag cord, an instinct that will keep them from being sucked underneath the ever-compressing snow until the avalanche comes to a stop. In other words, having a plan and knowing what to do when things went south saved that mountain enthusiast’s life.
For most employees of mountain resorts, the likelihood of the above scenario happening to them while at work is quite small. Given that Canada boasts some of the world’s most sought-after mountain resort destinations, safety of the employees who prepare resort terrain is a top priority. But emergency preparedness on a mountainside can sometimes mimic emergency preparedness while driving a car: you can never be fully prepared for an accident.
Rocket Miller is the mountain manager at Lake Louise Ski Resort in Lake Louise, Alta. He’s been working around mountains and avalanche terrain for over 30 years, meaning he knows a few things about how to stay safe at work. His priority for his team when it comes to safety has nothing to do with being on the mountain itself.
Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association president and CEO, Chris Brewer, has been involved in managing recreational snowmobiling for over three decades. Having spearheaded the initiative of mandatory safety training for snowmobilers throughout the province, he has always been a proponent of safety first, especially when it comes to “flatlanders” riding in the mountains.
Staying safe on a mountain is a team effort. But there is also a heavy responsibility on resort management to provide whatever training is necessary for their staff to keep them safe. For operators, a certain level of danger is always going to be part of the job. Mitigating those dangers can sometimes be stressful but it’s always necessary, and is better achieved when you have the right tools, both physical and learned, at hand.
Safely operating a snowmobile on the mountain – whether for work or recreation – is about being keenly aware of the conditions of the mountain, both current and days prior, according to Brewer.
“What were the conditions like on that slope yesterday? What were the conditions before the last snowfall? Was the sun on it, and made it icy? [You need to] look at the mountain and know how to read it,” he said.
Training and protocol for each resort depends on myriad factors, such as which mountain the resort is on, the location of the resort on the mountain, and where the resort is located within the snow belt. For resorts that have grooming within avalanche-prone areas, it is imperative to have an avalanche safety plan (ASP) that’s specific to your resort.
There are several different options when it comes to where and how to obtain emergency preparedness training for mountain resort operators. However, it’s important to be mindful that not all training is created equal.
In Canada, a solid course option for anyone working or playing in the mountains is offered by the Canadian Avalanche Association and their industry partner, Avalanche Canada. The programs are geared toward all levels and include both time in a classroom setting as well as time spent outdoors where you can practice your skills, like how to identify avalanche terrain, avalanche formation and release, appropriate use of travel in avalanche terrain and even an intro to companion rescue.
Other training opportunities exist that, while not directly about avalanche safety, are industry-specific and equally important, such as mechanized and non-mechanized snow sports business, transportation corridors and management of natural resources and vegetation.
Emergency preparedness, including avalanche safety, is a necessity for mountain resort workers. Being aware of the danger, knowing what to do in an emergency – like the mountain enthusiast pulling their airbag cord – and following the steps that you and your team have laid out will be what keeps you on top of the snow instead of below it.