Thirty-five years ago in northeast Oregon, a 6-year-old boy named Cody Sheehy got lost in the Blue Mountains near his home. To save himself, he walked 14-20 miles, mostly on dirt roads for over 18 hours, according to Emma Marris in her 2018 “Outside” article about Sheehy.

Marris rightfully wondered, “…would a modern six-year-old be physically and psychologically able to do what Cody did?”

Sheehy survived because he was a tough kid and experienced in outdoor exploring, according to Rombert Koester, author of Lost Person Behavior. “There are probably six-year-olds who still spend all their time running around and playing outside,” he says before warning that the child who just “sits in front of a screen isn’t going to do as well.”

For kids to be similarly tough today, they need to learn hands-on skills and have ample time to play outside in the woods. Kids should develop strong sensory capabilities and a sense of direction.

Based on my own “mom research,” here are some lessons and tips for equipping kids to survive outside.

Helping Kids to Not Get Lost

Straying off trail is the most common way hikers get lost; the second most common is falling off a trail and being unable to find their way back. Teach kids to, first of all, not panic—take deep breaths to stay calm and focus on what they’ve been taught.

Next they need to stay put and call for help. Make sure children know to not be afraid of getting “in trouble” for being lost.

Children may try to backtrack. Older kids may do this successfully, but kids tend to walk in circles or, like Sheehy, walk further away from the area a child was last seen.

That’s why the National Association for Search and Rescue established the “Hug a Tree” program to help children remember to stay in one place and wait to be found.

Typically, people get lost closer to sunset or just before severe weather comes, which often results in the lost person having to stay overnight in the woods. This is why the 10 essentials are vital.

The 10 Essentials

Statistics reveal that day hikers are most vulnerable to survival situations. People typically don’t pack all essentials, thinking it’s just a few hours or a few miles, what could go wrong?

Bad weather, injury or illness, and wandering off trail is what could go wrong.

The 10 Essentials are for all ages and meant to prevent emergencies and allow a person to safely stay for a night (or longer) in the wilderness. Equip children with a backpack to carry their supplies. The following list is a kid-version, based on one provided by The Outdoor Society that also includes some of my own ideas.  

1. Navigation: Carry a paper copy of the trail map. While a smart phone has built-in GPS, batteries die and service can be unreliable in remote areas. Knowing basic map and compass orienteering skills are important. A prepared child can use these tools to navigate if they get lost. Every child should also carry an emergency whistle, attached to a zipper, to alert for help.

2. Sun protection: Sunscreen, hat.

3. Insulation: Extra seasonally-appropriate clothing such as socks, jacket, hat, and gloves to keep warm through the night.

4. Illumination: Headlamp or flashlight and extra batteries.

5. First-Aid supplies and insect repellent.

6. Fire/warmth: No matches for kids—simply too risky. Hand warmers and an emergency blanket are safer (see #10).

7. Repair kit and tools: Even young children can use a multi-tool with proper instruction and practice.

8. Nutrition: Extra snacks.

9. Hydration: A water bottle and if in the backcountry a lightweight filter bottle, such as LifeStraw brand, for safe drinking from a stream or lake.

10. Emergency shelter: A silver, heat-trapping emergency blanket is easy for kids to use. Shelter-building skills are even better.

Age-appropriate risk-taking, independence, and problem-solving help kids to develop grit and resilience, which will help today’s kids have greater courage, confidence, and readiness to face unknowns on and off life’s trails.

Kids can begin to learn wilderness and survival skills at home. Here are some nature books to get started.

For more Out There Kids stories, visit the column archives.

Amy McCaffree is Out There Kids columnist and digital editor. She used to work as a youth camp counselor and adventure guide. Now she teaches wilderness and safety skills to her own two kids whenever they’re exploring the great outdoors.

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Here are some ways to start rounding out your backcountry skills:

• Ski seasonal roads. If you’re new to the sport or don’t have any snow-science education, seek out low-angle slopes away from avalanche danger and side-country options. The Summit Road at Mount Spokane State Park is a good place to start.
• Buy a beacon and practice. Even if you’re not heading into avalanche-prone terrain, it’s a good idea to build good habits.
• Read safety information and watch avy education videos online. The Northwest Avalanche Center has online education modules. The Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center also has tutorials on topics like how to read an avalanche forecast.

Find more Out There Venture’ mountain safety stories.

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Four skiers survived the avalanche, including Rebecca Hurlen-Patano, who was able to extricate herself about being buried in two slides. She spent the past year recovering physically, mentally, and emotionally from the traumatic experience, and plans on attending the memorial. Countless first responders and ski patrollers from around the region assisted Silver Mountain ski patrollers during the initial search and rescue and subsequent search and recovery days. (Learn more: “Avy Dogs and Risk Assessment” – March 2020 issue.)

Hurlen-Patano, who has been a skier for 55 years and a Silver Mountain passholder for about 15 years, along with her fellow survivors — as well as Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center Director Jeff Thompson (and avy dog handler) and the parents of avalanche victim Molly Hubbard — wants January 7^th to be an annual day to bring awareness to mountain safety.

Mountain Safety & Awareness

Last fall, Hurlen-Patano met John and Mary Hubbard, Molly’s parents, after encouraging them to visit Coeur d’Alene. She hosted a dinner at her home for the Hubbards to meet all the survivors as well as Thompson. “We started a relationship and have tried our best to maintain that to help process this trauma,” says Hurlen-Patano. “It’s difficult to survive an incident where you were in close proximity to those who died. Out of this horrific event, we are trying to create something good — trying to create an awareness of mountain safety, particularly at resorts.

“This idea of having something horrible turn into something positive is the only channel of energy that would be healthy for me. John and Mary feel the same way. Molly, their daughter, was a pay-it-forward kind of gal, so we had this concept of, let’s get everyone together and bring awareness to [in-bounds] avalanches.”

According to a statement shared by the group of survivors, “It is everyone’s hope to preserve [the victims’] memory and to raise awareness of avalanche safety. Going forward, we hope to use this day each year to raise money for Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center (IPAC) and avalanche education to continue advocacy for avalanche safety protocols.”

They encourage people to “make a donation to your local avalanche forecast center or search and rescue organization” and to donate to Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center (IPAC) if you live or ski in the Inland Northwest. (IPAC has been impacted by U.S. Forest Service budget cuts, as was reported in a news story from the September-October 2020 double issue.)

“I know we can’t ring bells for everyone who has been lost in an avalanche. But it’s nice that this one is being honored,” she says. “Ring a bell and be glad you’re alive. And then check your backcountry gear, make sure you have avy gear [and commit to taking it with you when you ski or ride].”

Participants from around the western United States will take part at their home mountains, including at Mt. Baker near Bellingham, Wash.; Snowbowl near Missoula, Montana; and at resorts in Utah, according to Hurlen-Patano.

“Let’s get healed. Let’s create an environment where we can be better educated,” says Hurlen-Patano. “We are behind the times [in the Inland Northwest] when it comes to our mountain awareness. We’re going to have a lot of people come to our area to ski. And we’re going to have more incidents of people caught in avalanches, on the frontside and backside. So let’s make sure people know what they’re doing.”

Here are the memorial events planned for the one-year anniversary on Thursday, January 7, 2021.

Silver Avalanche Memorial

Anyone, any place, on any mountain can join in a moment of silence at 11:04 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time). Then at 11:05 a.m., ring a bell, click your ski poles, or give a holler to the mountains.

Remembrance & Dedication Ceremony at Silver Mountain Resort

• 9:30 a.m.: Dedication Ceremony of memorial windchimes at the Mountain House.
• 11:04 a.m.: Lifts at Silver Mountain will be stopped for a moment of silence.
• 11:05 a.m.: Ringing of bells and chimes.
• 12:00 p.m.: Gathering in Moguls Lounge, located inside the Mountain House, to raise a pint in remembrance for those who passed and those who are living.

The memorial windchimes were handcrafted by Paul Hoskinson, a friend of avalanche victim Carl Humphreys, and will be installed along the Wardner Peak Traverse. Guests are encouraged to bring bells or use a bell-sounds smartphone app to help mark the end of silence.

Review our coverage of the Silver Mountain avalanche. Learn more about mountain awareness and avalanche safety.

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In an effort to increase opportunities for backcountry skiers and riders to undertake state of the art backcountry travel learning opportunities in the American Selkirks, Selkirk Powder Guides (SPG) has joined the national team of the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) providers for the 20/21 season. Established in 2003, and known primarily for cat skiing, SPG has been working for over four years with a seasoned group of internal guides on the certifications and accreditations necessary to attain the “Provider” status. Class registration is available immediately.

“Selkirk Powder Guides is excited to undertake their first season of avalanche courses as an AIARE provider,” said Ken Barrett, co-founder of Selkirk Powder Guides. “Kevin Stolbrock, our AIARE Programs Manager, and our guide team come with over a century of collective backcountry experience. They have been working extremely hard at achieving their credentials to teach the AIARE curriculum. It’s going to be wonderful to watch them teach what they truly love to do!”

AIARE is a nonprofit educational organization with a mission of “saving lives through avalanche education.” Serving over 100 providers in the US, South America, Europe and Asia, AIARE develops research-based avalanche education curriculum and implements ongoing training and certification for course instructors and providers. AIARE curriculum offers courses to serve all levels, from recreational to professional and from novice to advanced, and they are built in accordance with national and international standards developed by the American Avalanche Association (AAA) and the Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA).

Selkirk Powder Guides, based out of Schweitzer Mountain Resort, has been serving up snowy adventures in the Selkirk Mountains since 2003 by way of cat and heli-skiing adventures, self-propelled and snowmobile-assisted alpine ski tours, and snowmobile adventures as a certified Polaris Adventures Outfitter. Beginning in December 2020, SPG will offer AIARE Rescue and AIARE 1 and 2 courses. The SPG team will be available for custom courses as well. For course dates or more info, visit Selkirkpowder.com.

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Sandpoint, Idaho 

As most people know, avalanche fatalities in the U. S. have increased dramatically over the past 30 years. But what many people may not know is that most all avalanche accidents in this country occur on public land administered by the United States Forest Service (USFS) and that avalanches kill more people in our National Forests than any other natural hazard.  

The explosion in the number of people venturing into the backcountry to enjoy skiing, snowboarding, or motorized over-snow travel (snowmobiles and snowbikes) has put more and more people at risk of encountering avalanches while pursuing their winter recreational activities. This is corroborated by statistics that show the overwhelming majority of avalanche fatalities in recent years have been snowmobilers and backcountry skiers. 

In an attempt to address the growing number of avalanche accidents occurring on public land, the USFS established regional avalanche centers to provide avalanche forecasts for backcountry users, beginning with the Colorado Avalanche Warning Program in the 1970s.

Today, there are 14 avalanche centers in the U.S., most all of them located in western states. Idaho has three, the Sawtooth, Payette, and Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center, or IPAC, headquartered in Sandpoint. 

History of IPAC

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center began in the mid-1980s, when two local USFS hydrologists decided to issue notifications to the public when they felt weather conditions were contributing to a widespread avalanche hazard. These announcements were accompanied by intermittent updates of general avalanche conditions through the use of a telephone hotline. In the mid-90s, another USFS hydrologist, Kevin Davis, joined the team and began submitting field data and observations from his backcountry travels in the mountains in and around the Idaho Panhandle. Davis’ contributions led to the development of regular backcountry avalanche forecasts, issued through a USFS website on a weekly basis.  

During the next decade or so, IPAC’s popularity continued to grow, and it soon became obvious that in order to keep up with the ever-expanding backcountry community, additional funding was needed. Davis, along with Gary Quinn and Scott Rulander founded Friends of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center, a non-profit organization.

This Friends group’s aims to raise money, that, combined with USFS funding, would keep the center up-and-running. More funds would also provide avalanche education opportunities for the increasing number of winter backcountry enthusiasts. With additional resources provided by the Friends group, IPAC was able to improve its website and notification capabilities and expand its forecast area. 

In 2016, Jeff Thompson was hired as Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center director, and the program continued to evolve. IPAC now issues two forecasts each week for the Selkirk and Cabinet Ranges, and two forecasts for the Silver Valley/St. Regis Basin as well. Along with more frequent and detailed forecasts, IPAC also offers a variety of avalanche courses for backcountry skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, and snowbikers, from late fall to early spring.

In 2018, the Kootenai National Forest in northwestern Montana partnered with IPAC to develop a forecast for the mountains of northwestern Montana. 

Current Status of IPAC

Today, IPAC is in trouble. USFS budgets in many areas are diminishing. Avalanche centers are under increasing financial stress, with IPAC suffering more than most.

Compared to the Sawtooth Avalanche Center, where 40% of the annual budget comes from the USFS, and the Payette Avalanche Center that is funded 100% by the USFS, IPAC receives less than one-third of its budget from the Forest Service, with the rest coming from the friends group.

In addition, the job of director for both the Sawtooth and Payette centers is a USFS position. Not so with IPAC, where the director’s salary comes from the Friends of IPAC group. To make matters worse, the $21,500 the Sandpoint Ranger District provided IPAC this year may not be available in 2021.  

If things continue in this direction, it’s likely that next year there will only be three IPAC forecasters — all USFS employees, working under fairly restrictive time constraints. Additionally, there will be one forecaster from the Kootenai Forest. Altogether, these four will be responsible producing backcountry avalanche forecasts covering an area of roughly 2,500 square miles. Those forecasts may also be reduced to one per week. This will be a big step backwards.   

On the national level, the USFS is committed to sustaining regional avalanche centers, but the day-to-day, year-to-year operations of those centers is left up to forest supervisors and district rangers. For some of them, avalanche centers are not a high priority.  

If any of the USFS employees who currently make up the forecast staff should be reassigned elsewhere, the center would be in dire straits and likely have to curtail regular operations. To a rapidly growing backcountry community, this would be a significant loss.

But the avalanches won’t care, not one bit. They will continue to occur wherever and whenever they choose, with no regard whatsoever as to whom they might be affecting.

Without regular IPAC forecasts to help us make sound, informed decisions, and to help us safely maneuver in and around avalanche terrain, the North Idaho backcountry is likely to become a little more dangerous, and that’s something that none of us need.

Liam Fitzgerald is a retiring board member of Friends of Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center.

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The last time I saw Carl was along Idaho’s Lochsa River almost four years ago. We were driving with our then 1-year-old son along Highway 12 headed for a hike when a hitchhiking kayaker caught our attention. It was mid-week in May and the river and road were mostly empty.

We pulled over and offered the stranger a ride, but it turned out not to be a stranger after all. It was Carl, a fixture in the Inland Northwest outdoors community. We gave him a shuttle upriver so that he could make another solo run down the Lochsa’s wild, spring whitewater. On that brief ride together, we swapped life updates and stories of recent adventures, promising to float or ride together soon. Unfortunately, I never made the time to make those outings happen.

Fast forward to January 2020. A sick feeling flooded my senses after hearing about the skiers who had just lost their lives in the Silver Mountain avalanche and the pain their family and friends were going through. Then with the release of the names—Scott Parsons, Molly Hubbard, and Carl Humphreys—it felt a lot worse.

I had only hung out with Carl a handful of times since first meeting on the Spokane River 15 years ago, but his passion for getting so many days out on water, bike, or skis and his friendly, fun-loving personality were legendary.

There are many dangerous things in the places where we play that could cut our adventures short one day. But there are serious dangers lurking on the edges of our everyday lives, too. And I’m not talking about our daily car rides or the diabetes and heart disease-inducing American lifestyle (some of the biggest killers that should really concern us).

The everyday peril that sneaks up on us is the missed opportunity to connect with friends and family and get outside to our favorite places while we can. That turned down invite to go mountain biking or join on a surf trip. Choosing work or sleep over a powder day or backyard barbeque with friends.

It sure feels true to me that some of the most dangerous things are not doing what we love and never experiencing the elation that time outside with your people can deliver in plenty. And, worst of all, living one day with regret for all those times you could have said yes.

Originally published as “Dangerous Things” in the March 2020 print edition.

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We also know that while other media outlets will report the hour-by-hour, day-to-day updates on this horrible tragedy, we won’t be able to do that. As a magazine, we go deeper. And because we ski and snowboard along with you at our local mountains, this tragedy has impacted us on a profoundly personal level.

Avalanche beacons are being nearly sold-out at Spokane gear shops, but that’s not enough. People also need to carry an avalanche probe and shovel in a backpack while skiing/snowboarding and — most importantly — know how to use them. Mini-avalanches also happen when a skier/rider falls into a tree well. So having an activated beacon also helps expedite rescue for that. And of course, the #1 safety guideline is to always ski/ride with a buddy.

After being buried in snow for more than 30 minutes, a person’s chance of survival drops by half, according to the National Ski Patrol Association. Which is what makes Bill Fuzak’s survival story an amazing miracle, as he eloquently detailed in a public post on Facebook in a “Skiers” public group.

It’s not just skiers and snowboarders, and snowmobile riders who are vulnerable to avalanches. Not just backcountry users. Not just in-bounds ski mountain visitors. Snowshoeing, a relatively docile sport, comparatively, also puts a person at risk of being caught in a backcountry avalanche, depending on the circumstances. But as snowsports enthusiasts, we can’t let fear prevent us from enjoying the sports we love. Our chances of being in a vehicle accident are much greater than getting caught in an avalanche. Yet, avalanche risk still exists in specific types of terrain and snow conditions, and we all should know as much as we can before we get out there.

Know Before You Go

“Know Before You Go” is a free, online avalanche awareness program to help alpine snowsports participants, of all ages, to understand when and why avalanches occur and how to avoid avalanches in the mountains. It was created by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center and Utah Avalanche Center, and was an official selection for the 2016 Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival. The program includes interactive eLearning courses (all free), videos, and much more.

I recommend starting with the video “To Hell in a Heartbeat” (ominous title, I know). It’s a powerful four-minute video. (Trigger Warning: Though this is a reenactment, and for all-ages, it’s a very emotional, intense video.)

Next, go through the information on the 5 Steps of Preparation for alpine skiing/snowboarding. Then you can proceed through the other parts of the “Know Before You Go” program.

Additional Avalanche Resources

Story from our March 2018 archives: “Backcountry Safety: Study Looks at Skier and Snowboarder Tree Well Incidents.”

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center

Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks: Avalanche Awareness

Backcountry Access

National Avalanche Center

Avalanche Safety Tutorial

Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center – Education resource webpage

Online tutorial resources from Gallatin NF Avalanche Center

Video: “How to Survive a Potentially Deadly Avalanche” — episode 7 from ABC News Survival Week series, winter edition, originally broadcast in February 2015 on “Good Morning America.”

Keep Calm and Ski On

The Out There Outdoors publishers, Derrick and Shallan Knowles, and the rest of our senior team of contributors want all of us to be more avalanche-aware and educated about outdoor safety, from the consistent use of bike helmets to backcountry survival skills. We’re all learning more from this recent tragedy.

We do not assign blame for this tragedy. If there had only been survivors, this statement would likely not need to be made. But we suspect that people are having these thoughts of blame, and for sure, people involved are feeling guilt, remorse, and regret. We empathize with these feelings.

Nature is its own fierce entity; though humans try to “mitigate” risk, avalanches happen. Snow science experts and ski patrollers do what they can, within their knowledge and capabilities, to identify and reduce hazardous conditions and minimize risk. These professionals risk their own safety by lighting explosives and throwing them onto steep slopes to trigger avalanches before opening runs to the public. We have the upmost respect for ski patrollers, and know the past three days have been emotionally and physically exhausting for the Silver Mountain Ski Patrol and the other search and rescue workers and volunteers.

We don’t blame the victims for their plight. We don’t point fingers at any could’ve-should’ve-would’ve scenarios. We all know the cliche about hindsight. The reality is, for the most part, in-bounds ski terrain is much safer than side-country and backcountry terrain. Until now, most of us visited our local mountains on fresh powder days with no worries at all about an in-bounds avalanche. That naivety is gone now.

While there have always been news stories about avalanches, some incidents more sad and deadly than others — like this deadly tragedy out of Montana last week or this Dec. 2019 story out of Yellowstone — this Silver Mountain avalanche is a hometown story, whether or not you live in Kellogg, Idaho, or even ski/ride at Silver. And it breaks our hearts.

Mountains will still be our happy place, and powder days will still bring us joy. But now we do so with the knowledge of this cautionary chapter in our regional history. We would be remiss to not learn life-changing lessons from our sorrow.

Amy McCaffree, special section editor and Out There Kids columnist, has been writing for Out There since 2006. Most of her outdoor adventures include downhill skiing, camping, paddling, hiking, and biking, usually with her husband and their two children. Since 2003-04, she has been a season-pass holder at Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, where her husband is a senior level, nationally-certified ski patroller, with 20 years experience with the all-volunteer Mt. Spokane Ski Patrol. Connect with Amy on social media at Instagram and Facebook.

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Each year, avalanches bury about thirty skiers, snowmobilers and other backcountry enthusiasts in the U.S.; in fact, avalanches kill more people on national forest land than any other natural hazard. And with wilder winters and the increasing popularity in winter backcountry recreation, the potential for tragedy grows every year. That’s why savvy backcountry travelers swear by their local avalanche advisory—after all, it may mean the difference between life and death.

Unlike the sophisticated satellite-aided analysis of traditional weather forecasting, avalanche study requires field observation in some of the most remote, snow-choked terrain in the lower 48 states.

The hallmark techniques for snow stability are pit tests, by which avalanche specialists can assess the potential for initiation—the likelihood of a fracture occurring in a weak layer of snow—and propagation—the likelihood that a sliding upper layer will “run” across a distance. Improta, who co-founded and staffs the WCMAC with avalanche specialist Steve Karkanen, likens it to “finding the sleeping dragon.”

Like a spring-loaded bear trap, avalanches usually require a push to release their potential energy—and that push often comes from the bottom of a sled tread or a ski.

As an avalanche specialist, “you’re out enough that you see people doing interesting things or taking bigger risks than you would,” says Improta. “Their skill level is such that they can negotiate steep slopes, but their avalanche knowledge isn’t.”

Advances in snowsport technology, from fat, stable powder skis to more powerful snowmobiles, have also enabled recreationists to get farther into the backcountry in search of new stashes. The explosive popularity of winter backcountry recreation—with backcountry ski sales seeing annual double-digit gains in recent years—means avalanche specialists are digging more pits in more places.

Says Improta, “More people are in the backcountry now since the gear can get them there. And since more people are there, more people are seeing what can happen—and sometimes that’s what it takes to make you a believer.”

But safe backcountry recreation still requires more than mere faith in a bulletin; it’s a dynamic mix of interpreting one’s surroundings and the conditions, not only of the snow but of one’s group.

“An avalanche advisory is just that—an advisory; it gives a skier or sledder a place to start,” says Improta. “Fortunately, I think a lot of people do understand that you can get good information from the advisories, but in the end you’ve got to make a call.” 

Originally published as “Finding the Sleeping Dragon: Inland NW Avalanche Awareness” in the December 2017 issue. 

Aaron Theisen is the author of the forthcoming “Day Hiking Glacier National Park and Western Montana” (Mountaineers Books). He wrote about Montana fall hikes in the October issue.

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