Valemount Search and Rescue saved us

Goliath

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2019
Messages
68
Reaction score
427
Location
Sherwood Park
Lilduke, we got very lucky with the weather and the timing! Sitting inside burning dry wood in my fireplace in this -30. Don’t know if we woulda made it if it was any colder than the -10 we were in. Lucky!
 

Goliath

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2019
Messages
68
Reaction score
427
Location
Sherwood Park
Would that happen to be Curtis from Sherwood Park? If so we got in touch over text. Great guy. He was actually the one who let us use his INREACH and gave SAR our location.
 

catmando

Super Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Nov 7, 2006
Messages
8,969
Reaction score
6,437
Location
Edmonton
Wow, great read, thanks for sharing. Very happy too hear that everybody went home safe. As Ron said come too mm, meet some pretty kool peeps!
 

CJD

Active VIP Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2018
Messages
175
Reaction score
235
Location
Sherwood park
Would that happen to be Curtis from Sherwood Park? If so we got in touch over text. Great guy. He was actually the one who let us use his INREACH and gave SAR our location.

yes it is me. Looking for someone/ people to go with as my group bailed. Would like to go but probably not if I have to spend 6-800 on fuel and accommodations with no one to share cost.
 

Goliath

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2019
Messages
68
Reaction score
427
Location
Sherwood Park
Definitely interested. I’m brand new to Mountain Mania, can you tell me what it’s all about and what I can expect? Also never been to Mcbride
 

Stg2Suby

Active VIP Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
1,911
Reaction score
4,311
Location
Stony Plain AB
Any chance of posting the GPS coordinates where you ended up overnight? Like to check it on google earth
 

Goliath

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2019
Messages
68
Reaction score
427
Location
Sherwood Park
I’d like to check that too! Unfortunately I don’t have them. I wonder if Curtis P, Mack or Bill still have them. Hmmmmm wonder how I could get them.
 

brian h

Active VIP Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2009
Messages
814
Reaction score
1,427
Location
edmonton alberta
Definitely interested. I’m brand new to Mountain Mania, can you tell me what it’s all about and what I can expect? Also never been to Mcbride

you ride sat with whoever you normally ride with or meet up with, if never been there a lot of people who will let you ride with them to learn the area, sat night has a supper and social, get a chance to meet people, usually door prizes and silent auction, actually will be a fair amount of people from Edmonton area and gbca. any profit will go to snowmobile club so its for a good cause also.
 

Dragonalain

Active VIP Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
805
Reaction score
2,353
Location
saskatton
Glad you lived to see another day. I always tell my friends that your emergency plan should involve not lighting a fire. To keep a fire going in deep snow is a lot harder than a person thinks even when there’s wood everywhere. A few years ago if I never had 3 ppl working there asses off to get wood for the fire to dry my cloths I would not have made it down. I was at the point where I lost all my motor skills and my speech was a little off.
Not sure about what type of saw u fellows had but i carry non folding pruning saws and rivet the sheath to the tunnel of the sled. I like the non folding saw as there’s nothing that can go wrong with it.


As for not lighting a fire method of survival watch some YouTube videos. I really like the ones about tea light candles in a bivey sack. Crazy how much heat one or two candles can produce.
 

Goliath

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2019
Messages
68
Reaction score
427
Location
Sherwood Park
Great info! Thank you and I will look into that! Collecting wood was by far the hardest part. Endless amount of HARD work.

I feel for your scenario, than god you had three guys working hard for you. I understand the slurred speech, double vision and lack of motor skills part. Very scary! Mind says yes, body says no.
 

skegpro

Active VIP Member
Joined
May 11, 2009
Messages
9,930
Reaction score
21,329
Location
In them hills.
Glad you lived to see another day. I always tell my friends that your emergency plan should involve not lighting a fire. To keep a fire going in deep snow is a lot harder than a person thinks even when there’s wood everywhere. A few years ago if I never had 3 ppl working there asses off to get wood for the fire to dry my cloths I would not have made it down. I was at the point where I lost all my motor skills and my speech was a little off.
Not sure about what type of saw u fellows had but i carry non folding pruning saws and rivet the sheath to the tunnel of the sled. I like the non folding saw as there’s nothing that can go wrong with it.


As for not lighting a fire method of survival watch some YouTube videos. I really like the ones about tea light candles in a bivey sack. Crazy how much heat one or two candles can produce.
Snow cave and tea candles for the win.
Beeswax candles cause you don't need cancer and they burn longer.

Everyone needs that sthil saw.
It is unreal.

Really wish someone like The Frozen Pirate would teach a winter survival course for sledders. (Maybe they do?)
I think it's equally as important as Avi skills and terrain management.
 
Last edited:

skegpro

Active VIP Member
Joined
May 11, 2009
Messages
9,930
Reaction score
21,329
Location
In them hills.
Other thing I was gonna mention Goliath is to get some real radios.
There is a guy on here (RGM) that sells a nice boefeng setup, they are good for comms at 30km.
Could have talked with the heli and s&r.
 

snopro

Active VIP Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2009
Messages
101,750
Reaction score
90,377
Location
Milo,Alberta
Snow cave and tea candles for the win.
Beeswax candles cause you don't need cancer and the burn longer.

Everyone needs that sthil saw.
It is unreal.

Really wish someone like The Frozen Pirate would teach a winter survival course for sledders. (Maybe they do?)
I think it's equally as important as Avi skills and terrain management.
I thought I had read somewhere on the site that they now say a candle in a snow cave will keep you warm enough to survive the night and won't exhaust you as much as cutting and hauling firewood all night? Is the fire whats keeping you warm or all the walking and cutting that's keeping you warm? We need someone that's taken a survival course to jump in.
 

CJD

Active VIP Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2018
Messages
175
Reaction score
235
Location
Sherwood park
Other thing I was gonna mention Goliath is to get some real radios.
There is a guy on here (RGM) that sells a nice boefeng setup, they are good for comms at 30km.
Could have talked with the heli and s&r.

I have that beofeng set up. I was able to use mine to communicate with goliath from the cabin that day. Only problem is the mic sucks. I have ridden 6 days this year and had 6 days that the mic stops working due to snow getting on it. Have to unplug the mic and use it as a handheld at that point. I just ordered a different mic that is supposed to be waterproof. we will see.
 

skegpro

Active VIP Member
Joined
May 11, 2009
Messages
9,930
Reaction score
21,329
Location
In them hills.
I have that beofeng set up. I was able to use mine to communicate with goliath from the cabin that day. Only problem is the mic sucks. I have ridden 6 days this year and had 6 days that the mic stops working due to snow getting on it. Have to unplug the mic and use it as a handheld at that point. I just ordered a different mic that is supposed to be waterproof. we will see.
We either zip tie panty hose over the mic or glue on frogskin.

Not sure a truely waterproof solution exists yet.
 

Goliath

Active member
Joined
Dec 16, 2019
Messages
68
Reaction score
427
Location
Sherwood Park
Skegpro, snowpro, CJD - thank you for all the info. This is EXACTLY why I joined this site. If you don’t have a community of people doing the same things, you end up buying “off the shelf” type gear. I appreciate all the info.

I would love love to take a survival course if there is such a thing. I’m not bad in the bush, but I would have done a lot of things different. Never thought of a candle and a gunny sack. That would have left some energy to walk out the next morning! It’s really easy to sit in my warm house and think of what I would have done different. Half the battle in any emergency is managing the panic! You don’t think and do right, when your panicked.

I always say YOU DONT KNOW, TILL YOU KNOW, YA KNOW. Lol.
 
Top Bottom