{"id":426278,"date":"2017-06-05T14:02:11","date_gmt":"2017-06-05T20:02:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/14erskiers.com\/blog\/?p=426278"},"modified":"2017-06-05T14:02:11","modified_gmt":"2017-06-05T20:02:11","slug":"backcountry-lifeline-wilderness-first-aid-mountain-bikers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/14erskiers.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/backcountry-lifeline-wilderness-first-aid-mountain-bikers\/","title":{"rendered":"Backcountry Lifeline – Wilderness First Aid for Mountain Bikers"},"content":{"rendered":"

In August 2015 the Big Mountain Enduro Series and Enduro World Series converged for a second year in a row upon Crested Butte. The talented riders took the trails by storm once again. But as favored rider Will Olsen descended Trail 400 for the Stage 3 course, tragedy struck. As a result, the community lost a friend, fiance, and rising star.<\/p>\n

In Will’s case, and with several other similar instances, the first people on the scene were other athletes. If you came upon this type of situation, would YOU know what to do?<\/p>\n

After years of both skiing and mountain biking in the backcountry, Frank and I can without a doubt say that we have encountered far more accident scenes on our mountain bikes than on skis. You would think that with the added risk of avalanches, that events like this would be more common with backcountry skiing. But, in our case, we have come upon or been involved with many more severe injuries on our bikes than on skis.<\/p>\n

Frank & Brittany at the top of Pearl Pass in 2010, just a few minutes before a group member fell, breaking his forearm in multiple places.<\/figcaption><\/figure>For example, when Frank and I did the Pearl Pass tour<\/a> as an organized ride in 2010, one of our fellow riders – whom we had only met that day – fell and basically shattered his radius and ulna in his forearm. Within this very large group, Frank and I were the only people with any sort of medical training. Frank had earned his certification as a Wilderness First Responder and I had a certification in Wilderness First Aid. Although basic, our knowledge was enough to package him up so he could be extracted safety via an ATV which happened to be passing by.<\/p>\n

Even just last fall I was riding in Fruita with my friend Natalie and came upon a woman with her 12 year old son. She had fallen and taken an impact of the end of a handlebar into her abdomen. It took us an hour and a half to get her roughly a mile back to the parking lot. And we were lucky here, as we weren’t really actually in the backcountry.<\/p>\n

For some reason, many people feel that mountain biking is a relatively safe activity, especially compared to backcountry skiing. And perhaps it is. But, accidents on mountain bikes happen. A lot. And the injuries can be a lot more serious than people realize sometimes. When you are miles deep in the backcountry in a place where cell phones won’t work, will you know what to do to help a fallen friend and riders?<\/p>\n

That’s where Backcountry Lifeline<\/a> comes in – first aid for mountain bikers, by mountain bikers.<\/p>\n

These last couple of months, I caught up with Bonnie McDonald and Flynn George, two of the founders of Backcountry Lifeline to get their story. Here’s what they shared.<\/p>\n

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1) Backcountry Life Line was inspired by the passing of Will Olson in 2015. Describe how you developed the concept for BCLL from that tragedy as well as others.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Backcountry<\/a>Will\u2019s death was hugely impactful to all of us, in different ways. Flynn and Heidi were at the race: Flynn was one of the riders who tried to help with resuscitation efforts, while Heidi ended up with a race radio in hand. On the other side of the country, at my mother\u2019s house, I was waiting for Will to call me after the race, as he said he would when we spoke that morning.<\/p>\n

The idea of starting BCLL was shaped by slightly different experiences for each of us – by being on scene for Flynn, by hearing what was happening behind the scenes for Heidi, and by being on the receiving end of it all for me.<\/p>\n

Personally, I wanted to start BCLL not because a different response would have yielded a different outcome for Will, but because my heart really broke for the riders and event organizers who were there… They were devastated that a fellow rider died in front of them; they felt helpless. If what we teach someday saves a life (and an appropriate and timely response to an accident certainly CAN make that difference), I will be ecstatic – but for me, that is almost secondary. More important to me, is that I want people to FEEL prepared – to feel confident in their response, and know that they did everything they could and had all that they needed to try to help.<\/p>\n

Since starting BCLL, my thoughts on this have actually evolved to a much a stronger stance. No longer is it, \u201cHere – let me be nice and do this service for you and help you be prepared so you won\u2019t feel sad if your friend gets hurt in front of you…\u201d Now it\u2019s, \u201cThis is your responsibility. Period.\u201d<\/p>\n

You\u2019d be an ass (and publicly shamed), if you went out backcountry skiing without a beacon, shovel, probe, skins that work, etc. It puts everyone in danger. The same should be true with mountain biking. If you\u2019re going out on the trails with your friends, you have an obligation – to both them and yourself – to be prepared: to have the right equipment, in good working order; to know trail etiquette and be a good steward; and to know what to do in the event you, your friend, or another rider has a crash. We are all we\u2019ve got out there. Anything less is irresponsible. <\/em><\/p>\n

How it started….<\/strong>
\nHeidi and Flynn, along with another rider, EMT Matt Hightower, started talking about starting some sort effort following the incident. The were going to call it \u201cThe Will Power Initiative,\u201d and began drafting some plans for it.<\/p>\n

In the weeks following the accident, Will\u2019s dad, Gary, and I, had started having a similar conversation. There was some money left over from a \u201cGo Fund Me\u201d campaign that one of the riders had graciously started to help us with expenses, and we wanted to put it good use – in a way that would support the sport that Will loved so much.<\/p>\n

\"Backcountry<\/a>
Learning first aid skills is essential to mountain bikers. Photo provided by Backcountry Lifeline.<\/figcaption><\/figure>Heidi soon reached out to me via Pinkbike, where I had created an account (\u201cWillsGirl\u201d) to thank the countless people who had shared their kind words and support. We all met for the first time at the final Big Mountain Enduro race of the season, where Will was honored. (Despite the tragedy, and missing the last race, he still would have podiumed, it was announced – the other racers in his class drank a shot on the podium for him.)<\/p>\n

As Heidi, Flynn and I continued to talk, we learned that Will was only one of a number of deaths\/serious injuries that occurred that summer. It felt like it was the right time – and there was a real need – to bring conversation and awareness about safety, accidents, and emergency preparedness to the forefront of the mountain bike community. It seemed like as a community\/industry, we were behind other sports in this regard (for example, backcountry skiing), where the appropriate training and tools are barriers of entry – the minimum requirements – needed, in order to play.<\/p>\n

This is how and why Backcountry Lifeline was born. We launched our website in Feb 2015, and held our first training two months later. <\/em><\/p>\n

2) Tell us more about your course offerings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We offer two basic courses<\/a>: our single-day First Aid for Mountain BikersTM course, and our three-day Wilderness First Aid for Mountain BikersTM camp. Other times, we might provide free basic CPR training at events, and\/or provide consultation on medical coverage or incident action plans.<\/p>\n

While our schedule continues to evolve, here are some of the courses and events we will be hosting\/attending:<\/em><\/p>\n