Beginner Riders - Do Your Research!

Preparations for Epic Snowmobile Adventure: Midwest Meets Mountains are well underway. For those of you just learning about this project, let me give you a quick summary of what it is all about. 

At the end of February 2015, I will be travelling from the midwest to join experienced freerider, Stephanie Santeford, on the snow-covered mountains of the Western USA. The purpose of the trip is to educate others about avalanche awareness and preparation, how to prepare for riding in the mountains when you have mainly trail riding experience, and to promote mountain riding in general. 
Picture taken during a recent trip in Northern Ontario
PC: Martin Lortz

The adventure will start in Halfway, OR at the Annual Ladies Ride, and will proceed to Sandpoint, ID to attend the Driven Workshop facilitated by Sledchatter.com

It has been an interesting ride so far to say the least - the amount of support received has been amazing. We are so thankful to have such awesome sponsors on board - +AmericanSnowmobiler+Snowmobile.com, FXR, Driven, Avalanche1, Backcountry Access, Backwoods Promotions, Snacker Packers, SUN Insurance and Van Amburg Enterprises. Additional sponsors are welcomed! 




So last night I found myself cuddled under the covers with my laptop and notepad. I'm not sure why I decided to start watching Avalanche preparation videos right before bed...sounds like a great way to trigger some crazy dreams right? Surprisingly though, I found the information to be reassuring. There's no doubt that there is risk involved when you head out snowmobiling in mountain terrain, but there is also risk involved when you go riding on a motorcycle or driving a car... so along the same lines, you want to be as prepared as you can for any situation and make sure you have the right gear in case a situation arises where you might need to use it. 




What's a probe? A beacon? Why would you need to carry two shovels with you when riding? These are all questions I had when I started to wrap my head around heading west for this trip. I was able to find the answers to my questions online - Backcountry Access and Avalanche1 are great resources and have some incredibly helpful videos on YouTube for beginners. 

With just over two weeks until the start of this adventure, I still have a lot of research to do. You can never be too prepared, and while I will be travelling with experienced riders, I want to make sure that I have all of the information and tools I need in case I find myself in a difficult situation. 

Keep checking the event Facebook Page and my Blog for updates and information! Next I'll be take a look at the type of gear to wear for mountain riding. 


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