Illegal and ill-equipped snowmobiling
Montana Avalanche Victim Survives An 8 Hour Burial
By Lucia Stewart, 3-03-07
Ryan Roberts and two partners were snowmobiling in the Flathead National Forest, when he triggered an avalanche around 4 p.m. on Thursday. His friends failed to locate him before calling Search and Rescue, who due to poor directions multiple times from the victims never reached the scene until after Roberts had been extracted shortly after midnight.
Statistics show that avalanche victims buried more than 45 minutes have a 20-30 percent chance of survival, and after two hours, no one is alive. It is believed that the full-face helmet may have captured enough oxygen for his survival.
The snowmobilers will face citations of illegal trespassing, $5000 fine, jail time and possible confiscation of the snowmobiles. After aerial photos showed snowmobile tracks in Jewel Basin Wilderness Study area and Bob Marshall Wilderness, officials have cracked down on this illegal use.
Once again, similar to the two snowmobile deaths outside of Helena last month, they were not carrying beacons, shovels or probes into the winter backcountry.
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A few snowmobile confiscations, in addition to fines, would seem to be in order to drive the message home.