Your State of Mind is The Key to Survival If you become lost, stuck, or broke down, don’t panic. Stay calm and be confident that you can safely spend the night outdoors until help arrives. By morning you may be able to solve your problem on your own.

 

If you left home prepared with the right clothing and equipment your situation could become just a spur-of-the- moment camp out.

 

If you allow panic to set in you can make some bad decisions that will greatly reduce your chances of survival.

 

If you start to feel that panic set in, force yourself and others to sit where you are for at least 30 minutes and think your situation through before making any decisions.

 

All decisions should be based on several factors such as your current location, distance to your vehicle, weather conditions, time of day, condition and health of your group, availability of wood and shelter, chances of being found, the nature of your difficulty, and snow conditions.

 

Your mind is your greatest asset. Be creative and resourceful in using the equipment you have and what nature has provided to solve your problems.

 

Try to stay with your snowmobile(s) if possible, otherwise go to the nearest sheltered area with a good supply of wood at the edge of a meadow where your chances of being found are good.

 

Don’t try to travel too far in deep snow before making camp as you may find yourself too exhausted to make a fire and shelter.

 

Use your snowmobile track to walk on as much as possible to avoid the deep snow. Don’t use all of your energy trying to get unstuck or make repairs.

 

Admit to yourself that you may be in trouble and put your remaining energy into making a shelter and fire.

 

Do not try to walk to your vehicle in the dark unless it is close. You could soon find yourself in worse trouble.

 

Dig in for the night and work on increasing your chances for rescue the next morning.

 

Do not continue riding in a whiteout or blizzard conditions where visibility is less than 50 yards. You can easily make a wrong turn and find yourself lost or stuck in a steep draw.

 

Find shelter in the nearest group of trees and wait for visibility to improve before you continue.