Grand Targee Resort, WY  The idea to start TGR came in the long nights holed up in tents at the Heli pad on Thompson Pass and was later funded by long summers spent commercial fishing of the coast of Alaska.  From the beginning the goal has been to take riding to new levels in unexplored mountains and document it on film.  Giving the riders all the tools necessary to excel in this environment and to do it quickly has been an on going evolution.

Ten years ago TGR brought on Jim Conway to be the head guide. Since that time we have tweaked, re-tweaked and evolved our protocal to safely go into the mountains and do things that have never been done before.

To take things to the next level TGR started doing its own version of an avalanche class.  The focus is on everyday situations we as riders andfilmers find ourselves in.  The guts of it are, “can I ride it” and “what happens if something goes wrong?”  So for three days riders, filmers, photographers and production personnel went over the protocol we use when going into the mountains.  Snow pits, cpr and basic first aid, insurance, avalanche rescue, cornice cutting, line selection, etc.

It this commitment to safety that is the reason why 80% of my filming the last ten years has been with TGR.  Huge props to Jim Conway and guest instructors BruceEdgerly (BCA), Kevin Brazel (JH Ski Patrol), and Dale Atkins (Recco).

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A motley class room. A.D.D. flare ups all around.

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Watching Bruce Edgerly from www.backcountryaccess.com the develpoer of the Tracker use his transceiver was impressive.  He showed us the ins and outs to speeding up our search times.  Most western resorts have beacon basin’s.  Take 10 minutes out of your day a few times a month and get dialed in.  Check this link for a location near you.  http://www.backcountryaccess.com/english/education/trainingpark.php
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Grouping up for live rescue scenerios

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Using cornice's to bomb/test slopes has become a majpr part of our protocal. Conway gives the class the low down. NOTE. This is very dangerouse. Make sure no other people are in the area that may get hit by a slide.

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A lot of our time was spent on digging techniques.  Jeremy Nobis and Corey Gavett on the clock.  This is the toughest part of recovering a buried person. Check this link for more on strategic shovelling. www.backcountryaccess.com

Sage going oover the basics of the Compression Test snow pit. It is quick and easy to do and our main pit we use for reading the snowpack.

Check ths link for more info.

http://images.mec.ca/media/Images/pdf/CompressionTest_v1_m56577569830645198.pdf

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Every evening ended with a section called “defend my line.”  This is where we go over our biggest mistakes from over the years and talk about what we did wrong and what we learned from it. Nobis breaks down one of the worst crashes of his life on “Nantucket Sliegh Ride.”

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Sage talks about the biggest slide TGR has ever kicked off. April 2007, Haines AK.

Some helpful links.

www.avalanche.org/~research/guidelines/pdf/Chapter2.pdf

Before heading intot he backcountry get your local avalanche forecast at www.avalanche.org

Be safe and “Live to Ride Another Day”

Five Red Flags coming soon.