Tyler's Backcountry Awareness

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Tyler's Backcountry Awareness

Empowering and challenging backcountry riders to expand their skills so that their adventures can reach new heights.

Backcountry rider Tyler Lundstedt’s undeniable and contagious passion for snowmobiling in the great Rocky Mountains led him and fellow riders to ever greater heights and challenges. Born in 1987, Tyler came to work in construction and running heavy equipment, but that was just to pay the snowmobiling bills. Ever smiling and always with a helping hand, Tyler would be found engaged in something productive. Those riding with Tyler would experience the mountains in ways most never will. The more obscure and hard to reach places offer the challenges and skill-building excitement an enthusiastic rider can appreciate. On January 21, 2012 Tyler died in an avalanche near Buffalo Pass in Colorado. The passion he shared with the world is a tremendous legacy. Tyler’s Backcountry Awareness was created to challenge riders to build their skills in safety and preparedness.

11/20/2025

When you go into the backcountry, you don’t need ALL the equipment available. You just need the RIGHT equipment!

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11/10/2025

DISCUSS ROUTE OPTIONS THAT CONSIDER TODAY’S GROUP, WEATHER, AND AVALANCHE CONCERNS.

Armed with information about your group and the day’s conditions, work together to Preview Terrain and consider appropriate trip options for the day. Incorporate the avalanche advisory’s key message at this and each point in your group’s planning discussion.

Draw on the resources from your trip catalog. Use maps, photos, and guidebooks to locate avalanche slopes along your proposed routes and play areas. Identify terrain with less exposure and consequence as alternative options to discuss as you plan.

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11/06/2025

Practicing avalanche rescue is rehearsing for an unlikely but possible emergency situation. Learn how to best conduct an avalanche rescue by taking an Avalanche Rescue Course. To keep your skills sharp and make sure you are reinforcing the correct habits, frequently review this avalanche rescue section, practice throughout the season, and regularly retake the Avalanche Rescue Course to gain experience working with others in realistic scenarios and receive coaching from experienced professionals.

Cover these three areas of skill each time you Practice Avalanche Rescue:
• How to respond if you are caught in an avalanche
• How to organize avalanche rescue with teammates
• How to care for and evacuate an injured party from the backcountry

It is important to evaluate your avalanche rescue skills to make sure you are reinforcing correct habits and continuing to improve skills you may infrequently use. You want to be able to employ your skills efficiently in coordination with your team. As noted earlier, the chance of survival decreases significantly after 10 minutes. Timing your practice gives you an indication of how effective your skills would be in a real life incident response. Practice and time your skills to ensure you are able to recover a target buried at least 3 feet deep in 10 minutes or less.

The bottom line is that avalanche rescue is a daunting and challenging task. The upside is that training can improve response outcomes.

.kesterke .montana.guest.ranch

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10/27/2025

Just like baning together to help your riding buddies when they are stuck, you should likewise ban together and take an avalanche course together.

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10/21/2025

IF A HELICOPTER COMES TO YOUR AID

The team should prepare a landing zone, if possible, by removing any loose debris and instructing team members to secure personal packs and clothing. Protect the patient from blowing snow when the helicopter arrives. Don’t approach the helicopter until instructed to do so by the pilot.

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10/15/2025

FOLLOW THE TRANSCEIVER SIGNAL TO THE BURIAL AREA

Rescuers should move quickly on foot, adjusting course to follow their transceiver’s arrow indications and watching the distance units decrease steadily until it drops below 10. Under 10, the rescuers should slow down and note their paths towards the victim. Usually the approach line will be a curved arc, based upon how the transceiver searches. Occasionally the line may be straighter depending on how the victim is oriented.

When the units drop below 5, the searcher should slow to a crawl, and finish the search on their knees. Leaving a marker here can help identify a line that points towards the victims location. The searcher’s transceiver should remain along the snow surface and oriented in the same direction for the remainder of the search. Rotating it will change the distance readings and confuse the search.

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Address

1401 E Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO
80524

Website

http://Backcountryawareness.org/

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