Start a Fire....

ferniesnow · Jan 6, 2019

Yes, the back-country is beautiful. Yes, the back-country can be a bitch! I should maybe, no I'm going to start another thread as this topic shouldn't get mired in this presumably electronic thread. Go to "Start a Fire" in Snowmobile Chat.......

That sentence comes from post #137 in "For those that don't carry a spot, inreach, or sat phone why not?". IMHO, this is an important enough topic to have it's own thread.

I don't know how many times I have come up to a club cabin and found all sorts of tracks around it, by it, or just past it and nobody has stopped to start the cabin fire. I kept track for part of last year and there were 30 days that I started a fire in the cabin in a well used area. Out of the 30 days there were 25 days that it was evident that someone had been there but no fire started.

It is the same old BS, it won't happen to me sort of thing. Nobody in our group will break any bones, get soaked in a creek, or exhausted because of having to walk back to the cabin because of a mechanical breakdown.

The first riders to the cabin should start a fire for the safety of our community. To me, it is good back-country common sense! But, we all know what is happening to good old common sense! Is it the lack of responsibility of our youth (I don't like to stereotype as all youth are not irresponsible)? Is it the "it's all about me attitude"? Is it "geeze I got to get to my honey hole before anybody else trashes it?" I see a lot of changes in the back-country with people and their attitude or lack of attitude. We used to stop and always ask it everything was all right when someone was stopped on the side of the trail. Not any more! On a lot of occasions, people just fly by with the throttle taped!!

But I digress. The importance of a warm cabin in the case of an emergency, IMHO, can't be over stated. I'm betting even S&R in many instances would be thankful for a warm cabin after all is said and done with their rescue.

What are your thoughts or opinions on this........?

catinthehat · Jan 6, 2019

I think you hit the nail with this one, (Is it "geeze I got to get to my honey hole before anybody else trashes it?")
Nobody wants to take the time out while the fire gets going enough to stay lit.
Most people aren't able to ride as often and want to get as much in as possible when they are out.
That being said, it would be nice to come across a pre warmed cabin at lunchtime or on those days when temperatures drop while riding.

papajake · Jan 6, 2019

That’s the first thing we do when we get to the cabin the problem is a lot of people don’t have a clue how to start a fire

scotts · Jan 6, 2019

I've Been of the mind set that if we are up on a hill that actually has a cabin and are going by it first thing in the AM that I hate to use up wood just to get things going and then walk out the door! I understand what your getting at but sometimes people DONT start the fire for reasons that aren't purely selfish!

skid · Jan 6, 2019

If myself and the guys I ride with ride past the cabin and no one has got the fire going we will take the 15 min to get it going. Lots of times it might be just us that day riding in the area so no one else is there to get it going. After a day of riding we always stop for a warm up and maybe heat up a half a sandwich on the stove top before we leave. That being said, a few of the areas we ride don’t have cabins to warm up in and in those cases Weve had the odd outside fire if needed.

broke'n'nuts · Jan 6, 2019

While I see your point I dont necessarily agree with you. While I have started fires at the cabin, if it's a quiet mid week I generally don't. No one comes by to stoke it it just goes out any way. Most of those drafty cabins need fire stokes continually throughout the day to keep the heat. Seems like a waste of wood to me. If I need a fire I light it. I don't blame anyone else for not doing something I am capable of if i want it. I dont really see not lighting a fire as a lack of respect. Not shoveling off the stairs ya, not leaving some wood for the next guy if I am using the fire, ya, but if it's not lit, and I don't want it or need it I leave it as is. Put the time and effort in to light a fire, come back a few hrs later and its stone cold. And I'm not a youth, nor is meant as disrespect, just my 2 cents

pano-dude · Jan 6, 2019

scotts said:
I've Been of the mind set that if we are up on a hill that actually has a cabin and are going by it first thing in the AM that I hate to use up wood just to get things going and then walk out the door! I understand what your getting at but sometimes people DONT start the fire for reasons that aren't purely selfish!

Yup, since I'm the guy who chopped alot of the wood for our club i agree. Use what you need but dont waste it.
Typical snow and mud itis, nothing to do but find something to bitch about. One reason i haven't come here often and holy **** when i do the first post is see is this....

imdoo'n · Jan 6, 2019

i don't see any reason to add to today's carbon climate change by starting fires for little to no reason? besides is it not irresponsible to leave a fire going wasting natural resources, when no one is home? :twocents:

There must be better fish to fry : like leaving garbage behind, consumption of adult drinks, or the smoking of the devil weed, in said cabin with young impressionable minds in the confines of wooden confining walls. I wonder if the time building fire could be better utilized performing avi snow test pits for everyone's safety and posting on a sign board outside cabin. not sayin, just sayin.

must be a slow day?

LennyR · Jan 6, 2019

Sounds like often could be a waste of wood and someone's work to provide it.

ferniesnow · Jan 6, 2019

Clubs spend tens of thousands of dollars for emergency shelters. Volunteers gather wood for the season (or at least that is how I see it). I don't understand the aspect of wasting wood to have a cabin warm. I would not begrudge anyone from using too much wood. There is so much dry wood around that it is not really a chore to put up a season's supply. So I'm guessing, I'm barking up a tree for a wrong reason.

I was brought up, that it is just back-country etiquette to start a fire, warm up a cabin, and leave a supply of wood for the next guy.

neilsleder · Jan 6, 2019

I been the first a few times to the cabin. I never started a fire do to the fact I didn’t want to waste the chopped wood. No one is around I don’t see the point. If I make a fire I do chop extra wood. I think have wood ready to start is better than have it wasted

snochuk · Jan 6, 2019

imdoo'n said:
i don't see any reason to add to today's carbon climate change by starting fires for little to no reason? besides is not irresponsible to leave a fire going wasting natural resources, when no one is home?

There must be better fish to fry : like leaving garbage behind, consumption of adult drinks, or the smoking of the devil weed, in said cabin with young impressionable minds in the confines of wooden confining walls. I wonder if the time building fire could be better utilized performing avi snow test pits for everyone's safety and posting on a sign board outside cabin. not sayin, just sayin.

I did not know that you were supposed to start a fire!
We rarely go to the cabins due to the drinking and smoking and now the smoking pot.
Also the cabin is so humid I find you get wetter and do not dry off or really stay warm when you are damp.
Don't get me wrong the cabins are awesome life savers when needed.
We had the kids up Bell at -17 and started a fire to warm them up.
Took 20 min to warm a cabin
I will start a fire in the future but I kid you not I never start a fire as I did not know it was first persons job.

Vipertonytro · Jan 6, 2019

I also agree that not lighting a fire is not disrespectful. While I see your point about the next guy might need it, well they can take the 2 minutes to start it just like I could. Our group works hard to keep the mountain clean picking up others shrapnel on the hills, parking lots etc. Always stop to help broken or stuck sledders. Always check on the guy stopped on the trail. But the fire I disagree with. If your so inclined to use the cabin then go ahead and start a fire. We personally very rarely use the cabins, but if we do we build a fire, re-chop some wood used and clean the mess. I find the only thing they do is drive the moisture into your gear as the snow melts off. The ride after a warm cabin is always the coldest. Just my .02c

ferniesnow · Jan 6, 2019

I don't use the cabin very much (may go at the end of the day to warm up on a cold day if the fire is going) and I agree that it is a place for the drinkers and pot heads to hang out and tell their awesome stories. I understand that the cabins in many ways have given our community a bad name. I don't condone the drinking and pot smoking and I don't particularly condone it at presumably family shelters.

I am strictly speaking about emergencies and how nice it would be to have a warm shelter to depend on in the event of an emergency.

snochuk · Jan 6, 2019

ferniesnow said:
I don't use the cabin very much (may go at the end of the day to warm up on a cold day if the fire is going) and I agree that it is a place for the drinkers and pot heads to hang out and tell their awesome stories. I understand that the cabins in many ways have given our community a bad name. I don't condone the drinking and pot smoking and I don't particularly condone it at presumably family shelters.

I am strictly speaking about emergencies and how nice it would be to have a warm shelter to depend on in the event of an emergency.

I have a morbid fear of the propane gone when it will be needed.
Personally I like the cabin with no heat when I go in it.
I would fell like a turd if the bottle went dry when I was in there.

Jorgy · Jan 6, 2019

neilsleder said:
I been the first a few times to the cabin. I never started a fire do to the fact I didn’t want to waste the chopped wood. No one is around I don’t see the point. If I make a fire I do chop extra wood. I think have wood ready to start is better than have it wasted

I agree with this depending on the occasion. If I know someone is going to be right behind us then we will start the fire. However if it is super early and I know that no one will be behind us for at least an hour 5-10 minutes of wood chopping is the better alternative so that the next guys up can start it. People may not know that you spent the time chopping but thats fine. On my last trip we were first up two of three days. 1st day we started a fire and got a bunch of wood ready for others to use but didnt even stop to use it on the way down. The other day we breezed right by in the morning but needed to use it on the way down to warm up. What goes around comes around. If you at least show some due diligence the majority of the time I find that okay. Ya, sometimes i stop and start the fire, but sometimes its going to be an epic pow day and I want to go ride.

Should be worth noting the fire starting supplies I carry in my bag is for emergency only. If the cabin doesn't have matches and firestarter I'm not using my stuff just to warm up a cabin. I think the clubs should be able to keep sufficient materials in their IMO, which for the most part they definitely do.

lilduke · Jan 6, 2019

I'll just let the people that sit in the cabin all day worry about the fire. Most times I avoid the cabins like the plague.

snopro · Jan 6, 2019

I understand Doug’s concerns fully. However we use the cabins for signing in or out at Revy. The odd time if it’s a wet day up top we will use it on the way down to try and dry out a bit however we find most of the time the cabin is jammed as the party has been on for hours already so we turn up the hand warmers and just head down.

Trashy · Jan 6, 2019

We've been the first at a warm up cabin a couple of times. We will tidy up if needed and 100% yes start the fire, make sure it has caught and will keep going. 9 times out of 10 we come back to the cabin for lunch, but when we don't. I'm sure the people that are there appreciate at least the coal bed.

Now if it was during the week and not seeing a lot of vehicles, or knowing we're not back at lunch. I don't light it and do consider it unneeded.

Caper11 · Jan 6, 2019

I’ll will let the snowmobile owners hang around at the cabin to tend to the fire.

I personally think guys who hang around the cabin harder on wood/propane.
It does not take long to make a fire, whether its in a snowbank in the backcountry or the in a stove in the cabin.

Start a Fire....

I'm doo-ing it!

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