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THE FREE PRESS Thursday, April 1, 2010
Why you and your
What’s for Dinner?
Choosing to backcountry ski with people who had the latest avalanche rescue training saved Fernie photographer Todd Weselake’s life. He tells Rebecca Edwards what he learned from being buried 2 metres deep in an avalanche.
04.04.2010
Todd Weselake. By Rebecca Edwards Free Press Staff
A
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 4 MUSIC MCC BY
BAND
WORSHIP 10:30 AM TIME
MESSAGE SHAWN BY
BARDEN
LOCATION MOUNTAINSIDE COMMUNITY CHURCH
1622 - 10TH AVENUE, FERNIE
s Todd Weselake travelled into the backcountry with his friends Ian Bezubiak and Janina Kuzma on January 8, 2008, he chatted to them about the new avalanche rescue technique they had been taught weeks earlier. As an experienced backcountry user and the mountain photographer at Island Lake Lodge, 23-year-old Todd had plenty of avalanche training, but Janina and Ian were among the first students to learn the new digging technique – and hours later became the first people to use it to rescue their friend. Previously, avalanche rescuers had always located a buried victim using a transceiver and probe, then dug straight down the probe towards them. The new technique – which is now standard worldwide – sees rescuers pinpoint the victim’s location and then move down slope and dig sideways into the mountain, moving snow faster and preventing it from blocking the hole. “I said it to Ian and Janina, I said it in the guides meetings – why didn’t we think
Submitted photo
of that before?” said Todd – who did not realize that hours later the faster, more efficient technique would save his life. “I don’t think the old digging technique would have got me out,” he added. “I don’t think two of them could dig a two metre hole that quickly.” That day, the avalanche rating was “considerable,” and the Canadian Avalanche Centre’s local bulletins were warning about a significant ice layer at 1 to 1.5 metres deep. “We knew the ice layer was there, we knew the risk of triggering it was quite low but if it did it was going to be quite big,” says Todd. “We had it in our minds to stay out of terrain to limit the size of any avalanche that did happen.” They decided to head to Cold Feet Bowl on the north side of Mount Proctor near Fernie, where they felt there was shallower terrain and treed areas that would be safe to ski. “We had skied it the day before so we were fairly confident, we didn’t see any natural slides or anything that we triggered,” said Todd. “ It was average
Prepare to Love Winter is The Free Press’ winter safety campaign. We want you to have the equipment, knowledge and training to enjoy all winter activities safely and will be running a series of articles on winter safety this season.
backcountry conditions in that sense – we knew we had to choose our terrain but we could still go out there.” The trio started taking it in turns to ski the slope, with Todd taking photos of the others as they passed him. He describes what he remembers next. “At three-quarters of the way down Ian took a turn into the side of the slope and it slabbed out on itself in a size 1.5 avalanche.
“I couldn’t move my fingers, couldn’t move my arms or anything. All I could think was I’m dead. I was 100 per cent convinced I was dead at that point.” Todd Weselake
“At that point we knew something had changed and decided to meet at the trees at a very safe place to discuss what to do now. I said I would go down first and see what was up ahead. I went further down the slope where there were some old growth spruce trees then called back ‘It’s good to go’. “At that moment I heard Ian yell ‘Avalanche!’ The first thing I thought was ‘no way’ – it wasn’t typical avalanche terrain. “I grabbed onto a tree as hard as I could. The front wall of the avalanche hit
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East Kootenay Community Credit Union is offering a Community Award Grant of $12,500.00 to one of five Fernie charities. Elk Valley Hospice is one of the Fernie five. If we receive this grant we will purchase two beds for the palliative care rooms at the Elk Valley Hospital in Fernie. These beds will significantly improve the care and comfort of palliative patients in our area. We will also offer a grief support group in either Fernie or Jaffray. The support groups guide grieving friends and family through a difficult life journey.
Elk Valley Hospice and our community needs your vote! Credit Union members from Cranbrook, Elkford and Fernie can be part of a legacy. On April 8th and 9th come to the Fernie Branch of the East Kootenay Community Credit Union and cast your vote for Elk Valley Hospice (Fernie & Area) Fernie & Area