Seminar aims to save lives

WASILLA -- On a sparkling Saturday morning that virtually begged Valley residents to come outside and play in the new overnight snow, several dozen kids and adults were inside Wasilla Middle School learning how to be safe in the wintry world.

More than 100 people attended the third annual Snowmobile Safety Seminar sponsored by Valley Healthy Communities Program, Wasilla Arctic Cat and the Valley Hospital Safe Kids Program.

Participants rotated among several stations in the school gym, with volunteers discussing various aspects of winter safety. Topics included alcohol awareness, avalanche preparedness, basic rescue and first aid, basic snowmachine field maintenance, snowmachining and the law, cold weather preparedness, open water, and sharing the trails with mushers.

Much of the information was useful for everyone venturing outdoors in the winter, not just snowmachiners. Truman Beer of the Mat-Su Motor Mushers, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force survival school, talked about the need to wear wool and leave cotton at home -- a time-honored tip he said is often ignored.

"People don't realize that Carhartts' shell is cotton," Beer said.

He advised people to dress in layers, and to carry a good pair of leather gloves for snowmachining as well as mitts. Dependable wool pants and shirts can be purchased relatively inexpensively at Army surplus stores, he said.

Across the room, Wesley Schlueter and Jessica Dryden of the Mat-Su Dive Team told people how to avoid falling through the ice.

"The deeper the water, the longer it takes to cool," Schlueter said. "Be aware of your environment."

If someone in your group does fall through, others should back away toward thicker ice, he said. Schlueter advised carrying a rope to throw as a lifeline in case a person plunges into the water. The latter suggestion made an impression on 13-year-old James Banner of Wasilla.

"I like the idea of that rope," he said, adding he'd probably take one during his family's snowmachine excursions at Big Lake.

One of the most popular stations was avalanche avoidance, with information from Anthony Ambrosino of the Wasilla-based Backcountry Avalanche Awareness and Response Team.

"The more snow, the more avalanches there'll be," he said. "It's a simple equation."

He handed out printed information, including an avalanche hazard evaluation field checklist. Warning signs of avalanche danger include debris from previous slides in the area, and hollow sounds or cracks in the snow.

Ambrosino said local snowpack and weather history information is available from the Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center's Web site at http://aprfc.arh.noaa.gov/

Alaska State Trooper Troy Shuey also was on hand to talk about state laws relating to snowmachining. Perhaps the least-known law of all is that a person must have a driver's license to operate a snowmachine, he said.

"It came to light last year with some incidents in state parks," he said. "As of this winter it's still on the books. People need to be aware."

Palmer and Wasilla have ordinances prohibiting snowmachine riding within their city limits, Shuey added.

Besides the chance to learn from people with lots of expertise, the seminar also offered a great deal on snowmachine helmets. Those who attended each station were eligible to buy a $170 helmet for $25 after the seminar. The price break was possible because of donations by event sponsors, said Kim Floyd of the Valley Healthy Communities Program.