WyCEHG Researchers Attend Winter Safety Trainings

As all residents know, winters in Wyoming can be brutally cold. Deep snow, strong winds, and freezing temperatures are a recipe for disaster for anyone caught unprepared.

To combat the dangers of winter weather in Wyoming, WyCEHG encourages its researchers to take classes and learn to be better prepared for winter conditions.

Elizabeth “ET” Traver facilitated two trainings last week providing WyCEHG researchers the tools they need to be prepared for many different winter conditions.

The first training was a snow safety training taught by Dan McCoy of the Outdoor Program. The training focused on avalanche safety, how to dress appropriately, and how to stay safe while outdoors. The second training focused on snowmobile use and safety.  

“I have a protocol about how to use these snowmobiles,” says ET. “We went through it step by step, from how to hook up to the trailer, to how to get the snowmobiles on and off the trailer, to making sure that people always had their helmets on, so that they remembered, ‘this is an integral part of being on a snowmobile’”.

Much of the research underway by WyCEHG researchers requires them to hike into remote backcountry locations to take measurements and conduct other studies.

Because so much research happens in the mountains, trainings like these are crucial for the WyCEHG team members, for many reasons.

 “We have more and more people out in the snow all day, doing all sorts of different research activities,” says ET. “Our objective is to try to give people some skills and some knowledge and get them thinking about how to stay safer while out in the snow.”

For more information about how to safe while in the snow, please visit the following websites:

Safe Riders Safety Awareness

Avalance Safety

REI

By Robin Rasmussen

Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Traver and Steve Holbrook