Avalanche vs. ATV

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I was reading an article in the local paper a few weeks ago about how avalanche deaths this year are near an all time high in the U.S.. I found that a little weird since I hadn’t noticed a dramatic increase in Jackson Hole and the surrounding area. And, friends in Montana, Utah and Colorado that I talk with regularly hadn’t really brought it up in conversation and snow conditions are usually the first thing we talk about, especially during a year like the one we are currently having. Jobs, family, relationships usually come at the end of the phone call, have to get to the good stuff first.

But, it piqued my interest so I did a little research, and, sure enough, through March 18th of this year the 2007/2008 U.S. total of 34 fatalities is only one shy of the 2001/2002 record of 34. The numbers do not reflect Canadian fatalities, and the chart below shows the breakdown by activity:
*Data obtained from Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center

I was sad to hear that the number still continues to be high, especially considering articles I’d read that say education of backcountry travelers is increasing. Part of the increase is undoubtedly due to the power of modern snowmobiles and the access to dangerous terrain that they now provide. And the overall popularity of earning your turns has had an impact as well, the more people out there doing it, the higher the probability of accidents.

As I was lamenting the high numbers and looking into it a little bit more, I saw another article that said ATV accident deaths were at an all time high. Ok, that makes sense, big powerful machines that require little or no training to purchase and use. The numbers were shocking. 2,620 ATV related deaths since 2003, not including the 2007 numbers which had yet to be released by the Consumer Products Safety Commission. In the article I read the estimates for 2007 are in the 600 range. Over 3,000 people in 5 years, and over one third of those deaths were children under 16 as reported by the CPSC.

Those statistics to me weren’t just unbelievable, but kind of ridiculous. If I were an ATV manufacturer I’d probably take a small amount of the millions I spend to lobby congress to keep ATV’s free and dangerous, and put a little money into safety and consumer awareness. I spent some time as a kid ripping around the McCullough Peaks outside of Cody on a motorcycle, so I’m no treehugging hiker. But you can damn well be sure that my kids are getting their first alpine touring setup long before the conversation turns to romping around in an ATV.

Coast Guard airlifts injured man in ATV accident -

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SEATTLE - The Coast Guard airlifted a 29-year-old male after he was injured in an ATV accident at Lake Tarboo, north of Quilcene, Wash., today.

Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles received a call from Jefferson County Emergency Medical Services at 1 p.m. requesting helicopter support for a male who had gotten into an ATV accident with his daughter.

The father and daughter were in a heavily wooded area that would require the hoisting capability of a Coast Guard helicopter. The daughter was able to be transported out of the area into a clearing where an Air Lift Northwest helicopter was able to land and transport her to a local hospital.

A Coast Guard HH-65C Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles launched to the scene and airlifted the father to the same hospital as his daughter.

Man Escapes Police On ATV In Martin County

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(HINDOSTAN) - State Police Jasper are looking for a man that took off on an ATV in the area of Hindostan in Martin County.

A trooper saw a man riding a yellow Honda ATV along IN-550 near Hindostan Falls Road, and when the officer tried to make a traffic stop, police say the rider took off, leading the officer on a 12 mile chase through rural areas of Martin County.

The report says the man then ditched the 4-wheeler and took off running into a large wooded area.

Despite calling in officers from Martin County Sheriff's Department, Loogootee Police and a K-9 officer from Daviess County, the suspect could not be found.

The investigation is still ongoing.

Impressive dress-rehearsal for Jules Verne ATV

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Jules Verne ATV today approached the International Space Station to within 11 m of the docking port on the Russian Zvezda module. The approach was part of a second ATV demonstration day which clears the way for the first rendezvous and docking attempt on 3 April.

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“I’m known for my understatements, but the only word that comes to mind about today is impressive,” said John Ellwood, ESA’s ATV Project Manager. “It was impressive to see how Jules Verne, the staff at the ATV Control Centre, the control centres in Moscow and Houston pulled together today. It was a perfect dress-rehearsal for Thursday.”
Today’s manoeuvres included the first demonstration of the critical optical navigation system, using the European-developed Videometer technology. It was confirmed that ATV can use this system to autonomously navigate to within 11 m of the ISS.

“This demonstration day confirmes the performance of the vehicle is even better than we had hoped for,” said Nicolas Chamussy, Astrium ATV Project Manager. “This is a world premier for automated rendezvous using optical sensors, following the world’s first demonstration of relative GPS navigation between Jules Verne and the Station performed on Saturday.”

“Today was an important success for the Toulouse control centre to orchestrate a human-rated mission with the Station and it is a main step which is very promising for the docking attempt on Thursday,” added Lionel Baize, ATV-CC Project Manager for the French space agency, CNES. “It is an incredible challenge to have three control centres working together and to interact live with the ISS crew.”

Mission controllers at the ATV Control Centre (ATV-CC) in Toulouse, France, also confirmed they could issue very specific commands to Jules Verne, including Hold Retreat and Resume. These commands may have to be issued if any unforeseen problems occur in the ATV’s automatic guidance system.

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Today’s demonstration also included the first active participation of the ISS crew in the mission. Once ATV had reached the 11-metre stand-off point, the astronauts were instructed to issue a Retreat command bringing Jules Verne back to the 19-metre point. The crew then issued an Escape command, which automatically took Jules Verne to a safe location away from the ISS.

The close approach to the ISS presented the ATV team with an opportunity to inspect some thermal blankets on the exterior of the spacecraft that had become degraded. “These were in exactly the positions that our thermal analysis had predicted. At the moment we do not envisage that this will have any impact on Thursday’s planned first docking attempt,” said John Ellwood, ESA’s ATV Project Manager. “We have addressed with our ISS partners the increase in power we might need to maintain the temperatures and we foresee no problems.”

Data collected during Demonstration Day 2 will be made available to ISS managers for their go-ahead to proceed with a first docking attempt on Thursday. Jules Verne ATV is scheduled to dock with ISS at 16:41 CEST (14:41 UT) on 3 April.

Avalanche vs. ATV

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I was reading an article in the local paper a few weeks ago about how avalanche deaths this year are near an all time high in the U.S.. I found that a little weird since I hadn’t noticed a dramatic increase in Jackson Hole and the surrounding area. And, friends in Montana, Utah and Colorado that I talk with regularly hadn’t really brought it up in conversation and snow conditions are usually the first thing we talk about, especially during a year like the one we are currently having. Jobs, family, relationships usually come at the end of the phone call, have to get to the good stuff first.

But, it piqued my interest so I did a little research, and, sure enough, through March 18th of this year the 2007/2008 U.S. total of 34 fatalities is only one shy of the 2001/2002 record of 34. The numbers do not reflect Canadian fatalities, and the chart below shows the breakdown by activity:
*Data obtained from Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center

I was sad to hear that the number still continues to be high, especially considering articles I’d read that say education of backcountry travelers is increasing. Part of the increase is undoubtedly due to the power of modern snowmobiles and the access to dangerous terrain that they now provide. And the overall popularity of earning your turns has had an impact as well, the more people out there doing it, the higher the probability of accidents.

As I was lamenting the high numbers and looking into it a little bit more, I saw another article that said ATV accident deaths were at an all time high. Ok, that makes sense, big powerful machines that require little or no training to purchase and use. The numbers were shocking. 2,620 ATV related deaths since 2003, not including the 2007 numbers which had yet to be released by the Consumer Products Safety Commission. In the article I read the estimates for 2007 are in the 600 range. Over 3,000 people in 5 years, and over one third of those deaths were children under 16 as reported by the CPSC.

Those statistics to me weren’t just unbelievable, but kind of ridiculous. If I were an ATV manufacturer I’d probably take a small amount of the millions I spend to lobby congress to keep ATV’s free and dangerous, and put a little money into safety and consumer awareness. I spent some time as a kid ripping around the McCullough Peaks outside of Cody on a motorcycle, so I’m no treehugging hiker. But you can damn well be sure that my kids are getting their first alpine touring setup long before the conversation turns to romping around in an ATV.

A Pair of Bears for 2008

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Yamaha has split production of its Grizzly 700 ATV to accommodate customers who want power steering, or not.

The 2008 Grizzly 700 FI is available with and without Electric Power Steering with a price difference of about $600 for the EPS delete version.

Yamaha's power steering system debuted on the 2007 Grizzly 700 and features a torque-sensing steering column that signals twisting force to a computer, which controls an electric motor assist to soften or eliminate "kickback" and make the toughest terrain easier to tackle.

The Grizzly powerplant is adapted from the company's popular sport ATV, the RaptorR, and features a single-overhead-cam single, fuel-injected engine with four valves for combustion efficiency. Electronic fuel injection makes cold or hot starts dependable, and the Ultramatic centrifugal clutch and drive belt work for engine braking at all four wheels with 2WD or 4WD selections.

Yamaha is offering its 700 FI Grizzly with and without power steering for 2008. The utility ATVs will tow 1,212 lbs. and can carry nearly 300 lbs. on racks beside the rider.

The 2008 Grizzly sports four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes and rides on Yamaha-designed Dunlop tires.
Towing specs for both models is 1,212 lbs. and payload includes a 99 lb. rating on the front rack and 187 lbs. on the rear.

For more information on the Grizzly and its various special editions and accessories, click on

ATV Pulls Barbie Power Wheels Jeep, Plastic Tires

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Power Wheels are awesome. At least they are for the first couple weeks when you're a 6-year-old. After that, the battery gets weak and you're left wanting for more power. A solution to this need for speed? Why not just have your big brother tow you with his ATV? Oh, but make sure to wear a helmet, because those plastic tires don't grip the road all that well. You'll be sliding all over the place, and well, you might crash into a wall or something. This guy can vouch for it.