Matt Zia with Friends of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center performs an avalanche transceiver demonstration on Jan. 15 at the new beacon park in Big Sky. PHOTO BY JOSEPH T. O'CONNOR
Funded by Big Sky-based contractor Cornerstone Management Services, the beacon park creates an opportunity for backcountry users to search for buried transceivers to hone their beacon skills so if the time comes to perform a rescue, they’re proficient with their gear. The park, currently made up of four buried transceivers, is located at the softball fields at the Big Sky Community Park and is free and open to the public.
Avalanche transceivers, or beacons, are worn during travel through the backcountry and are used to locate victims who are buried by avalanches. The survival rate for victims buried beneath an avalanche drops significantly after 15 minutes. As a partner performing a rescue, time is of the essence, and a life is at stake. Executing each component of a rescue efficiently is critical, beginning with the beacon search.
“In stressful situations, we as humans perform at the level of our training,” said Matt Zia with Friends of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. “If we train to a really high level then we’re going to be ready to perform in those stressful situations of an avalanche rescue.”
Currently the only beacon park in Big Sky is located at the base of the Challenger lift at Big Sky Resort, which requires a lift ticket and the ability to ski a blue run to access. According to Andy Dreisbach, owner of CMS and a volunteer with Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue Big Sky Section, broader access was a key consideration for the new beacon park. When choosing a location, Dreisbach said the team at CMS ruled out popular backcountry areas and instead opted for the community park which is “immediately centralized for everybody,” according to Dreisbach.
The Big Sky Community Organization, which is lending the land for the park, hosted the park’s opening day on Jan. 15, which was attended by approximately 10 people and included demonstrations by GNFAC. BSCO Youth Program Manager Richard Sandza said the main goal of the event was to connect people to their resources and open the park to the community.
The concept for the park originated in 2020 when then Lone Peak High School senior Laney Smith proposed the park to community funding partners. Since then, CMS has taken the seed planted by Smith and brought the $12,000 project to fruition.
Having performed many rescues as a search and rescue volunteer, Dreisbach said general backcountry knowledge is important, but practice is the tandem component, and an active avalanche search is “not really the time to practice.”
The other piece of this, according to Dreisbach, is understanding the difference between owning gear and knowing how to use it, a distinction many avalanche safety instructors open introductory courses with.
“Ownership does not warrant knowledge, if you will,” Dreisbach said. “Practice and purposeful practice give you the basis for that knowledge.”
Joseph T. O’Connor and Gabrielle Gasser contributed reporting to this story.
We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
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We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.