Castanet

I can't imagine any 20+ young male not trying to get themselves out .

They were out of their element, over their heads, they had no idea what they were getting into and just because they had the gear doesn't mean they knew how to use it. Morons.

rookie314 wrote:They were out of their element, over their heads, they had no idea what they were getting into and just because they had the gear doesn't mean they knew how to use it. Morons.

I think "morons" is harsh. Ill-prepared, yep.

Guilty big-time of a common train of thought, being "It's a very well-populated, beginner area so no need for emergency provisions - plenty of people in the area to help". This is one of the most common excuses, or in a very similar vein, that you hear people say when they are rescued. Or "I was only going out for an hour or so". It takes about 5 minutes or less to find yourself in a giant pickle that wasn't expected.

An "emergency" is something that usually happens when you least expect it. That's why having a "provisions" kit for your car IN YOUR CAR, for your house IN YOUR HOUSE, for your outdoor recreation WITH YOU FOR THE ACTIVITY, is what people have to just DO - it has to be the first thought you have and the first thing you pack once you have your fun planned....hopefully, you NEVER have to use it. But it's called an "emergency" kit for a reason.... I THINK these guys probably have that etched into their brains now for life.

They should've been equipped with a SPOTS tracking device or the sled rental company included one with the rental.

Gixxer wrote:They should've been equipped with a SPOTS tracking device or the sled rental company included one with the rental.

I hope the rental companies get wind of some of the very good ideas suggested on this thread as to what they should be putting on/in the equipment.

Someone earlier suggested a GPS on the sleds - is this SPOTS thing the same?

dle wrote:
Someone earlier suggested a GPS on the sleds - is this SPOTS thing the same?

Yes, it's a device you carry (or mount to a vehicle). Hit the button and it sends an emergency signal with GPS coordinates. It relies on a person to activate it tho. Get pinned under your sled out of reach and you're hooped. There are better options but a SPOTS system would be a huge improvement over nothing and would have worked well in this example.

Sounds like the rental company did provide some good kit. Once stuck I'd have likely done very similar to these guys. Nobody is going to sit around and look at the sled - they're going to try to get it out.

Lots of armchair survivalists here. "Proper" equipment as implied by some posters can easily cost over $1000. You're telling me you're going to invest a grand in gear just for 1 trip? Also agree - it's obvious you've never ridden a sled if you think there is any chance these guys were out in runners and jeans. Pack extra fuel? It's a rental sled and they're not renting Grandpa's old utility tank with storage space. If the sled didn't come with provisions for bringing extra gas - it's not a simple thing to do.

They got low on fuel, took a wrong turn, and rather than backtrack they decided to push on. That was their big mistake. Otherwise It sounds like they handled the situation pretty well.

It was a joke about the runners and jeans btw