Snomo deaths: The 3rd factor

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Joe Thieven: ‘If riders are sticking to the trails, they’re safe.’ (PHIL HOSSACK/ WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES)

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(CNS)

Read a story about a dead or injured snowmobiler and the immediate response is two­fold — were they drunk and how fast were they going?

Local snowmobiling enthusiasts say their sport is getting a bad rap. They say it's only a small group of rebels that poisons the well for the vast majority of law-abiding riders.

Every snowmobile season -- from mid-December to mid-March -- sees 50 to 60 injuries and a handful of deaths. There have been four deaths this season, said RCMP Sgt. Line Karpish. There were three last year and six the year before.

The injuries include broken limbs, concussions and lacerations.

"Anything less than dead," Karpish said.

She said two-thirds of the people involved are males under 25 years of age. Excessive speed is a contributing factor in 80 per cent of collisions while alcohol is to blame in 35 per cent of them.

Joe Thievin, a director at SnoMan Inc., the umbrella organization that provides support, direction and liability insurance to local snowmobiling clubs, as well as managing the trails in the province, said media reports tend to focus almost exclusively on whether alcohol was involved in accidents. Many times, he said, riders heading off into ungroomed areas is to blame.

"If riders are sticking to the trails, they're safe, they're signed and they get you to and from where you want to go. It's when riders go off the groomed trails that they expose themselves to rocks, ice ridges and other unknown hazards under the snow. While it's fun to go play in the deep snow, there are (tree) stumps underneath," he said.

"We always associate an accident or fatality to alcohol. That may have been one of the causes but there are so many other factors. When we see a number of fatalities happening off trail, we ask, 'was alcohol really the cause or was it the off-trail riding?' I'd like to think it's the off-trail riding."

Unfortunately, drinking and riding remains part of the snowmobiling culture among a certain segment.

He said not only is it unacceptable, it's plain dangerous considering today's modern machines have between 150 and 180 horsepower and can travel at speeds up to 160 km/hour. That's equivalent to the power of a compact car. Twenty years ago, the newest sleds had one-fifth the horsepower and topped out at about 100 km/hour.

"But if you go on a Saturday or Sunday to our warm-up shelters, I can assure you you'll see families eating lunch and enjoying the day. It's the riders who come out after dark who continue to drink and ride," he said.

There are more than 23,000 registered snowmobiles in the province, 90 per cent of which are single-rider machines.

Thievin estimated the total numbers of riders in the province would be in excess of 40,000.

"You might have a 16-year-old son who rides in addition to the parents," he said.

There are more than 12,000 kilometres of groomed trail in Manitoba and many thousands more just a few hours away in Saskatchewan, Northwestern Ontario, North Dakota and Minnesota.

One surefire way to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities is through mandatory snowmobile training, said Greg Dueck, director of operations with Safety Services Manitoba.

He said Saskatchewan has already gone this route and if the totalled sleds and body bags continue to pile up, it may be inevitable in this province. New requirements could even include a snowmobile-specific licence.

"Not many people know the rules and regulations (of snowmobiling). That could change with mandatory training so people know what they can and can't do," he said.

For example, Dueck said when humming along at between 80 km/hour and 100 km/hour at night, riders will "overrun their headlights."

"By the time you see it, you hit it. You won't have enough time to get out of the way. Travelling too fast at night is definitely a hazard and there are probably more snowmobiles out at night than during the day," he said.

Dueck said SSM has provided safety-awareness training to more than 10,000 students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 across the province over the past year.

It also offers hands-on snowmobiling training for organizations such as the RCMP or pipeline companies that use motorized sleds to get around in the winter.

Fatalities and accidents this season are on par with previous years, Karpish said.

She said policing off-road vehicles is always a challenge for the Mounties.

Most of its 51 detachments throughout the province are equipped with snowmobiles so officers are able to set up check stops, just like they do on roads and highways, to pull impaired riders off the trails.

The RCMP would like to keep a better eye on snowmobilers but patrolling 12,000 kilometres of trails plus countless more on the highways means they're continually having to juggle resources, she said.

"At the end of the day, there has to be some responsibility for the riders to make arrangements before they go out.

"If they want to have a drink, wait until the end of your ride," she said.

Karpish said warm-up shacks are not intended to be make-shift pubs and she finds it particularly disturbing when adults are caught drinking in them in the presence of their children.

"That's a sad state of affairs," she said.

Dave Amey, store manager at Enns Brothers, a Winnipeg-based retailer of snowmobiles and other power products, such as ATVs, boats and scooters, said the majority of customers at its four stores are "well-behaved, respectful, cautious and courteous" outdoors people.

"We're seeing a very strong resurgence in family riding. Mom, dad and the kids are riding at the cottage to get outside rather than sitting in front of the TV," he said.

He compared the typical snowmobiler to a motorcycle rider.

"It used to be a fringe member of society who would buy motorcycles or snowmobiles. Now it's your neighbour, doctor or firefighter. It crosses so many age groups.

"It's country guys, city guys, men and women," he said.

Amey said the message about drinking and getting behind the controls of any kind of vehicle still needs to be shouted from the mountain tops.

"We can't forget it. Whether it's a car, boat, lawn mower or operating a chain saw, don't drink and ride," he said.

Not to be forgotten is the proper protective equipment is essential when heading out on the trails.

Karpish said many accidents are worse than they should have been because riders' helmets are loosely fastened.

But you don't need to be going at break-neck speeds to sustain a serious injury. Just ask Kurt Enns, a snowmobiler for the past 20 years at his family's cottage near Kenora.

He and his wife took their snowmobiles to a friend's place just a few lots over for a New Year's Eve dinner. They had accidentally forgotten one appetizer and Enns volunteered to retrieve it.

He didn't often wear all of his gear on such short jaunts that he'd done "hundreds of times" without incident, but he did in this instance.

On the way back, admittedly distracted while balancing the food in his lap, he took a trail that wasn't well used. When he accelerated up a hill, the machine's right ski got tangled up with a dock that he couldn't see.

He was ejected through the windshield, landing 20 feet away on his head, breaking his ribs and his hand and sustaining a 14-stitch laceration on his leg.

"If I didn't have my helmet on, you wouldn't be talking to me right now. I could be dead or a vegetable. Who knows?

"The rule at our house now is full gear, including a helmet, any time you're even thinking of getting on a snowmobile. Even in the most innocuous situation, things could happen that you never dreamed could happen," he said.

geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca

Ten for the trail

Snowmobiling can be a fun and exhilarating activity when done safely. Here's a list of dos and don'ts to help ensure you don't become a statistic.

1Use the designated trail system and avoid going off into unchartered areas. Never cross a river or lake that you don't know and avoid areas where there might be open water.

2Always tell somebody where you're going and when you're coming home.

3 Never ride alone. One is a lonely number when you're snowmobile breaks down.

4 Drive for the conditions. The posted speed limit is 60 km/hour on straightaways but you should slow down at night, when there's snow dust or if you're on a particular trail for the first time.

5 Dress appropriately. Wear bright-coloured, reflective clothing and an approved helmet. The latest in helmet technology includes electronic face shields that keep fog off the visor.

6 Never drink alcohol before or during a snowmobile ride.

7 Know your machine. Take the time to learn the controls and get an orientation from the owner if you're borrowing it, or from the dealer or rental agency if buying or renting.

8 Stop, stand up and look both ways before crossing a roadway.

9 Use hand signals when riding in a group. Your tail light might be covered in snow and not visible to the rider behind you.

10 Always carry an emergency kit. This should include a tow cable, survival gear, a cellphone and food and water.

-- Source: SnoMan Inc.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 1, 2009 A6