Avalanche safety during the winter season

With winter weather comes winter fun. Many people have already began hitting the slopes, but it’s important to watch out for dangerous avalanche conditions existing in the area.

Several human-triggered avalanches occurred over the weekend. Skiers and people riding snowmobiles are likely to trigger an avalanche large enough to bury or injure a person, but experts say having certain equipment can make the best out of a tragic situation.

Owning items like a beacon, a snowmobile airbag and a probe are just a few of the necessary tools that can save a life, but not everyone wants to make the investment.

"Mainly due to cost," said Kent Gillett, Adventure Motorsports. "It does cost a fair amount of money to purchase those things, but I think too it kind of boils down to what's your life worth, what's your buddy's life worth? Because it makes a big difference if you're going to act quickly and get somebody out of a bad situation."

Staying informed and choosing a safe route to take is also important when heading to the mountains, so let's try our best to stay safe this winter season.