I grew up on snowmobiles. In the far north, they were the primary means of transport. Functional devices.
My encounters with sledders in the backcountry have made me not take the no-off-highway-vehicles policy in the National Parks for granted. With few exceptions I have found them completely disrespectful of other backcountry users. It seems to begin right from the front door. Traveling to the mountains, they tailgate, pass unsafely, and generally drive like a$$holes. We stay in hostels and hotels that are unfortable to snowmobilers, as they tend to be loud and obnoxious. This continues onto the snow where they act like motorized bullies.
I am fortunate that I haven't witnessed a snowmobiler avalanche involvement, as I'm not sure I'd be too eager to rescue them. Okay, I would, but it would
me off royally. I've never seen any sledders digging pits or doing any type of snowpack analysis. Even on days of considerable or above rated danger, they just slam up obvious avalanche runouts, highmarking away. Wonder why over 20 died last winter in the Rockies? Then the news says
like "he was a highly experienced sledder, and still got caught."
Experienced at what? Certainly not experienced or skilled at snowpack or terrain evaluation. But, hey, I don't care if you die in an avalanche. That's your choice. I've skied complex terrain in sketchy conditions, but made no bones about the fact and was very aware of the risks. Chatting with the sledders I've seen taking outrageous risks, they never had a clue.
