Avalanche Safety Webisode Kickstarter
There’s a new Kickstarter campaign that all mountain riders can get behind; it’s called “The Hunt for Zipper Mouth Creek”, and is the brainchild of Revelstoke locals Jeremy Hanke and Jeff Scott.
The crowdfunding project aims to produce a series of free webisodes that will educate sledders about avalanche safety and help develop necessary backcountry riding skills.
The duo plans to travel throughout North America this winter, stopping at 6 key locations to share, test and refine an avalanche stability test pit they have developed, called the “Scanke Pit”. The unique pit is designed to help a snowmobiler evaluate the stability of a slope by mimicking how a snowmobile ascending, descending and sidehilling a slope might affect it. The concept will be shared with respected avalanche technicians in different locations with widely different snowpacks throughout the winter.
The “Scanke Pit”
The idea for the pit came from the two as a result of avalanche training they had undergone together.
“Jeff and I met in this operational course six years ago, and we got really motivated to try to understand how snowmobiles can impact the snowpack, and look at how deep our stress bulbs go in and how deep we can trigger an avalanche,” says Hanke.
But, like they say on the campaign, life is about balance. Along with educational content, there will undoubtedly be some sweet riding footage as well complements of Hanke, a hardcore sledder who recently graced the cover of Mountain Sledder Magazine Issue VIII. And that’s what this web series will be all about. Hanke and Scott want to help you get to your own untracked paradise—Zipper Mouth Creek that is—in the safest and most enjoyable way possible.
Hanke, slaying it for Mountain Sledder
According to Hanke, “The ultimate goal of the campaign is actually three things: To further our knowledge about the impact of a snowmobile on the snowpack, to help grow an understanding for effective terrain travel habits for motorized users and to spread the message about how to get forecasts and information from the local avalanche organizations.”
To learn more about the Kickstarter campaign or to donate, check it out here (Click on the “K” for the main page):
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1548608679/the-hunt-for-zipper-mouth-creek
It’s worth a look. And there are some pretty incredible rewards available that can help keep you safe in the backcountry!