Page 108 The Castlegar Sun Wednesday, January 8, 1992 ‘The good news is some people were caught in an avalanche last week. ‘The bad néws is that tfiere will be those who will learn how the skiers lived to tell about it, ‘and wrongly conclude that it was bad luck that the avalanche occurred at all, and good luck that they escaped unharmed. *~ Avalanche incidents are always a difficult sub- ject to bring up, Nobody wants to talk about it too loudly, it’s too close to home. As skiers, we have all been in tight spots, taken risks, maybe even yunnecessary ones. It is the naturt of the game. We nod our heads quietly when we hear these stories ‘and promise under our breath to be more careful from now on. We wince, knowing it could have been us. <; Still, it's a good time to ask a few questions, such as: “Did they evaluate the avalanche hazard? Did they take the necessary precautions once the I have some good news and some bads news. HIPS oy Yor mate as far as luck goes, that only comes into play when the avalanche is already in motion, not while you are [ff standing on the top |/ of an inviting pitch. Here you need all the facts you can muster to edge on this subject of safe backcountry in the mountains. Add to this more than a few seasons of solid backcountry experience, the right gear—an hazard was evaluated?” and “Were they prep for an effective rescue if an avalanche did occur?” ‘These are not questions for those involved of course, but rather for ourselves. For the next time we are out in the bigs, or just exploring around the Granite trees. The trquble with these questions i Yhough is that the answers may well have been yes [for all of them, yet a tragic accident could still have pccurred. tS And that is the problem, the bad news for those { who put too much stock in luck. Avalanches do E2ccur from time to time despite expert forecasting te the contrary. They can run farther or wider than a dicted. They have been known to place one vic- LB gently on the surface while turning a second f jbg people has some little twist in the story that “ghakes people say, “Gee, you just never know, do ou?” i; So avalanches become percieved as unreliable f Hiven fickle. >>: A dangerous untruth—they are quite predictable -2: Granted, there are many variables that keep the ~Porecasting of avalanches an inexact science. But Into a statistic. It-seems that every incident involv- / a shovel, a probe (just to start with)—and you have the basics for making these decisions yourself. If all you have is the gear, and lack the background, you had better have a lot of faith in the person you are with. Ask those same questions listed above and hope that your guide can answer them all in confidence. Part of the fun of traipsing around the mountains is the risks involved. Calculated risks. But part of the fun can be the use of this knowledge. Watching weather patterns, digging hasty pits to check for weak layers in the snow pack, looking for prevail- ing wind patterns that could have loaded a leeward slope with dangerous amounts of snow. Testing the slope, one skier at a time with a lookout in place, picking a route down less exposed.to possible avalanches, skiing one at a time from safe point to safe point. Being well trained and equipped if things do go wrong. In this particular instance, the good news was that no one was hurt If familiarity breeds complacency, then we have all been ‘di ilarized’ with local a and the lesson can spread from there. = Change Continued from 9A proceeds went to help fund the Tarrys fire department's bid for: the “Jaws of Life.” The Rebels experimented with a variety of line combinations and moved a few forwards to defence. In the net for the Rebels was Elk Valley = Power goalie coach Doug Degans while trainer Tom Campbell played up front. ~ Campbell, six foot four and 280 pounds, had never played organ- ised hockey but was an instant fan favorite. Chants of “bomber, bomber” broke out among the Campbell touched the puck. Kevin Leiman led Rebels scor- ers with two goals and two assists, Nisse and Hunter also scored twice while Nino Da Costa, Brad Schock, and Ken Hagen added singles. For the services team, John a a aneey ce yk of the RCMP scored twice. Fellow policeman Rod Zavaduk and fire fighter Bruno Tassone scored services’s other Net Notes Former coach Kevin Chevel- » dave said he'sreleived to have a fulltime job back. Cheveldave has returned to Salmon Arm and is working at sporting goods store. As far as hockey life, the ex- Rebels coach said he has his pick of minor hockey teams to coach in Salmon Arm. Continued from 9A The Rebels are on a three- game road trip this weekend, as they make their final swing Silver Rate Antiques 301-11 Ave. Castlegar. (in Tulips Building) 365-5191 HOCKEY TICKET GIVE-AWAY! part u Most Valued Player for the 1986-87 1987-88 season. The Rebels Most Valued Player Award is different than the Most Valuable Player Award in that scoring isn't a Consistency of play is the determining quality which is looked at when choosing a winner. Jim Baker Orchestra . Spring Break Fly Tour To Disneyland March 13-22 The Castlegar Sun Pick up two tickets to the Castlegar Rebels home game dF your choice. All you have to do is name the Rebels — A player chosen as Most Valued Team Player before current Castlegar coach Kevin Koorbatoff won the award for the PAPER TOWELS through the East Division. Friday they play Elk Valley, and Saturday they're in Columbia Valley, before winding things up Sunday in Golden. “We're going away from the pressures of Castlegar so maybe the guys can get their stuff together,” Joice said. Help Us Celebrate the Start of ‘1992’ with a 1992 Barrel Sale 20 Pleces of Golden Delicious Chicken Reg. $24.99 Now Only $19.92 Save $5.07 All the month of January Don't forget the Salads and Fries Ceigar & Cominco meal tickets accepted Call us today! 365-5304 2816 Columbia Ave. (at? _ | CHICKEN LEGS 10 kg, bog. Umit 1 Over limit price 5.48 00. B.C. Grown. : Washed oe Canada No. 1 Grade 50 |b carton RUSSET POTATOES 8 Cor Alberto Grown, JConade Ne | Grade 5 lb. bog Bakery fresh 400 g ea > SAFEWAY'S GREAT | u Interested In An E: ur To Hawaii”? ...¢ PERSONAL CARE WORLDWIDE HENNE TRAVEL 368-5595 1410 Bay Ave., Trail ee FD eH” 88°SALE Choose from Shampoo to Yarn all this week! FRESH CARKOTS FRENCH BREAD Prices in effect Sun., Jan.5 - Sat., Jan. 11, 1992 We reserve the right to limit sales to retail quantities. PROFILE WEDNESDAY, January 8, 1992 1B Focusing on exposure Local residents take part in sharing their optical viewpoints Club members plan the activities of their upcoming meetings. Shutterbugs take heed. The West Kootenay Camera Club, growing at a steady rate, is always welcoming new members and focusing on developing and promoting the art of photography. The club was formed three years ago and started with 18 members (on paper). “It was just a local few of us who wanted to get together because of common interests,” recalls Ken Ferch, club organizer. “We came up with what we wanted to do and how we wanted to do it.” Initiating a club was no problem for Ferch, who had previously started one in Merritt, B.C. “I really enjoyed the social aspect of it,” Ferch said. The new club began meeting at Selkirk College in 1988, then moved to Kinnaird Junior Secondary School after a year. Members now meet at Vogue Studios and total 31, with more people becoming interested all the time, according to Ferch. “We're still sort of in the throes of learning what people want and how to address that.” Members of the club have participated in a number of different photography-related activities including field trips that have taken them to the Meldiana Trail, Fry Creek, abandoned mines, the old and new Brilliant Bridges, Sandon, the Idaho Lookout and a fairly recent excursion up behind the Brilliant Dam. “A lot of this area has been traversed by our mem- bers.” During field trips they concentrate on both general scenic and specific assignment shoots. “We've ta: snl ourselves assignments along the lines of group critique,” Ferch said. A committee has now been formed within the club to set up the critiquing, a task which members take turns completing. “We were asked for submissions by the Kootenay Mountaineering Club for their up-coming book,” Ferch said. Those membérs who happen to travel abroad have the chance to share their work during club travel- ogues, slide shows which have so far boasted photos from such exotic places as Africa and Thailand. The club is in association with the National Asso- ciation of Photographic Arts (NAPA) and a newly formed Kelowna based organization known as the Okanagan Mainline Photographic Council. The OMPC is an organization of Camera clubs in the southern interior of B.C. “It’s a clearing house of ideas from all the-clubs,” Ferch said, “They hold educational seminars, the last of which was very successful, with over 300 people in attendance and some very good speakers.” Ferch said he would like to see the art of photogra- phy enhanced and promoted through education within the club, such as field trips and seminars with guest speakers and well-known photographers both local and national. “We’re hoping to get Courtney Milne as a guest speaker in March,” Ferch said. “He recently had a sold out show in Nelson. We’ve had Gordon Hartly, and Mike Mathias, who was recently published in Photo Digest Magazine.” Another goal of the club is to create awareness in A little critique goes a long way in this club. the general public, through public displays and photo sajons. Their first annual photo salon at the Community Recreation Complex during Sunfest 1991 went quite well. The club recently published their first newsletter. Upcoming newsletters should include critical com- mentary. of three recent programs run in the area by professionals. The club also hopes to advertise used camera equipment, provide technical tips, photo techniques and hints on what types of equipment to use and list upcoming events locally and elsewhere. The purchasing of photo-related equipment is another of the club’s future goals. “We're always looking to encourage new people to come to the club with new ideas and thoughts,” Ferch said. “All skill levels from beginner to advanced can gain from association to the club, both in financial benefits and photographic experience.” All you need is a 35mm (or larger) camera. “We havea very energetic and dedicated group whose interests cover all facets of photography,” he said. “We all look at photography as an art form and try to perfect what we do with it.” Two slide shows during a recent meeting of the club produced some interesting work. One show concentrated on a summer boat trip which ran the entire length of the Arrow Lakes, while another focused on (no pun intended), north- ern B.C. and the North West Territories. A wide range of questions, suggestions and gener- al critiquing came up during the slide shows, show- ing just how much the club members learn from one another by sharing knowledge. Slides Eh? Club member Ross Scott looks over some of his slides before beginning the show. His show fea- tured a boat trip up the entire length of the Arrow Lakes, focusing on re- mote, unspoiled areas of shoreline. Story and photos by Brendan Halper