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HELP RESTORE FUNDING FOR THE NORTHWEST AVALANCHE CENTER The Washington State Legislature needs to hear from you regarding continued funding for the Northwest Avalanche Center. What follows Is a brief outline of the issue, and some possible talking points you may want to use in your conversation. The Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC), administered by the US Forest Service, is a federal, state and privately funded public service providing winter mountain weather and avalanche forecasts for the Olympic and Cascade Ranges of Washington and Northern Oregon. The NWAC services skiers, climbers, snowshoers, snowmobilers, ski patrollers, and highway motorists, among others. The NWAC Avalanche Hotline (526-6677) and the Center's new website (http://www.nwac.noaa.gov) received over 75,000 calls and "hits" between them last season. Currently budgeted at $180,000 per year, the Center is facing a mandatory $40,000 cut from the Washington State Department of transportation. Governor Locke has provided emergency Funding to keep the Center open for this season, but only the Legislature can restore the cut for next winter and the future. It is in our best interests to support the continuation of this vital public service, so please take a minute and call or write to the legislators listed below and urge them (politely!) to support continued state funding for the Northwest Avalanche Center. PLEASE ACT NOW. The legislature convenes in January and meets through March.
For more information, contact Public Policy Manager Brooke Drury at The Mountaineers 206-284-6310 or
BrookeD@Mountaineers.org. |
The Unit was contacted by the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management at 12:22 A.M. on Sunday the 11th of January. Both the Pierce County Sheriff and the Park Rangers at Mt. Rainier had requested our help in searching for a missing cross-country skier/snowshoer. The subject a 30 year old male had left friends at the Crystal Mountain cutoff from state route 410 at 9:00 A.M. Saturday morning. He had planned to ski into Mt. Rainier National Park as far as the turn off to the White River Entrance. He then planned to ski through the Crystal Lake drainage to Bullion Basin and then into the Crystal Mountain ski area. When he did not meet his friends by nightfall Saturday night they called authorities.
The Unit was requested to be at the Crystal Mountain cutoff at 7:00 A.M. a callout was made and eleven members responded; they were: Jeff Sharp, Mike Mixon, Jim Andrues, Chris Berryman, Rick Wire, Ken Capron, Stan and Angela Kartes, John Kirkman, Jim Lewis, Phil Pletcher. Other units involved in the search were Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol, German Shepherd Search Dogs and a snowmobile rescue team from Yakima County. After some initial confusion as to who was the lead agency on the search, the Unit met the sheriff's deputy at Crystal Mountain.
While the unit was gearing up word came in from the snowmobiles, that the subject had spent the night in a ski hut. He was skiing with a couple of other skiers to Bear Gap. At first it was planned for unit members to ride the ski lift to the top of the ski area and then snowshoe to Bear Gap to meet the subject. That idea was called off; the Unit waited until the subject and the other skiers arrived at the ski patrol lodge. After the mission was terminated, some members stayed at the ski area to snowshoe for fun. They returned to Cache Sunday evening in a snowstorm that left about 4 inches of snow in the city.
The creation of our annual training schedule is done in accordance with three sets of requirements: Those set forth by Mountain Rescue Association (MRA), those established by the Washington Administrative Code (WAC), and those described by Washington Mountain Rescue Association (WMRA). Those sets of requirements are outlined here.
These topics have been combined into a single list of twelve topics that we need to train on annually. Another eight topics have been identified that we should train on in alternate years. By combining some topics, we are able to complete the entire list of necessary topics in two years.
Other factors that have to be dealt with in developing the schedule include: availability of instructors, adequate river flow for Swift Water training, availability of the helicopter, availability of suitable ice for ice climbing, accessibility of open crevasses, and rescheduling training that was preempted by missions.
Finally, we have to find places in the schedule for other activities, such as the Safety Fair, Big Foot, the State SAR conference, McChord and other air shows, and the Unit picnic and banquet. As you can see, our training plate is pretty full.
Suggestions on how we can streamline and/or improve the schedule will be gratefully accepted, as well offers to help instruct.
Convection, Conduction, Radiation, and Respiration. Most people who travel the backcountry in winter should know these four words well. They are the means in which your body transfers heat to the environment. Around 85 of the body's heat is loss through convection and conduction and the rest through radiation and respiration. To prevent this heat loss most of us who travel in the backcountry wear clothing that has good insulating properties.
The main goal of any insulation is to prevent or resist the loss of heat to the surrounding environment. Clothing prevents the loss of heat by stabilizing the air around the body. The more a material restricts air movement the better it insulates Most winter clothing tries to create this layer of stabilized air next to the skin by using materials that have low heat conducting properties. It is usually made up of strands of fiber that have tiny air cells; these numerous small cells are a quite effective insulator. Some examples of this type of materials are wool, polypropylene and chlorofibre. However; none of these materials will help, if you don't use the basic principles of proper wear and care while traveling in the backcountry.
Remember the acronym COLDER, because that's what you're going to become if you don't follow these simple rules:
C - You need to keep your clothes clean. When dirt fills up the stabilized air space the materials lose their ability to provide effective insulation.
O - Try to avoid overheating. Most of today's synthetic fibers will wick your sweat away from your skin you will lose valuable energy when your body overheats.
L - Layering. All of us who have spent anytime in the backcountry know the benefits of layering. It allows you to add or remove clothes to adjust to the weather conditions and also prevent you from overheating.
D - Keep dry. Wet clothes lose insulation qualities, heat loss is 25 time greater when your clothes become wet.
E - Examine your clothes after each trip looking for excessive wear and tear.
R - Repair or replace your clothes as soon as a problem is noticed.
Remember the most important of the basic needs: fire, shelter, food, water and clothing, is the proper clothing. You can live well in the cold with the proper clothing and adequate water.
Call to order: 19:40 hrs.
Board members in attendance:
Others in attendance:
The November minutes were accepted as read.
TREASURER'S REPORT: Jim Howe
OPERATIONS REPORT: Rob Lutz
TRAINING REPORT: Jim Andrues
EQUIPMENT REPORT: Pat Lillie
COMMUNICATIONS REPORT: Jeff Sharp
SAFETY AND EDUCATION REPORT: Chris Berryman
MEMBERSHIP REPORT: Chris Berryman
FINANCE: Bill Weber
OLD BUSINESS:
NEW BUSINESS:
GOOD OF THE ORDER:
Adjourn 21:30 hrs.
Fran McFarland, Secretary-elect
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The following members attended the kit party on Jan 7, 1998:
They made 300 Kits. Remember the kit party is 7:30 P.M. the first Wednesday of the month at 2905 Parkway Dr. W. If you need directions call Shorty Williams at 564-0581. We need your help
Tacoma Mountain Rescue |
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