This autumn the Ski Club of Great Britain have teamed up with Henry's Avalanche Talk, Ellis Brigham, Arc'teryx and North Face to offer a series of avalanche awareness courses.
Henry's Avalanche Talk, or HAT, are well known and respected following 20 years of helping off-piste skiers and snowboarders make the most of the mountain. The talks don't pull any punches though, usually starting off with the fact that 90% of avalanches that cause accidents are triggered by the victim.
HAT and the Ski Club will be offering series of in-depth talks will be taking place at the Ski Club of Great Britain's office in Wimbledon. The HAT Academy offers a great opportunity for serious skiers to prepare themselves for the mountains. With in-depth training on the basics of off-piste skiing and a 2.5 hour session on using avalanche transceivers.
The HAT Academy evening programme takes place on Monday 26 September, 3, 10 and 17 October from 18:30 - 20:30, with one beeper training session on Saturday 1 October. There is also a weekend programme taking place on Saturday 15 October from 09:30 - 18:00 and Sunday 16 October from 09:30 - 15:00, the cost of the course £250 per person.
The Ride Hard Ride Safe is an introduction talk on how to reduce the risk of avalanches that the Ski Club, Ellis Brigham and Arc'teryx have produced. The talk is about where to go and when, how you go up or down and being well prepared.
The basic talk introduces skiers to these questions and how to answer then, the in-depth talk focuses on how and why avalanches are triggers. The in-depth talks will have a particular focus on why 9 times out of 10 you can cross a potentially dangerous slope and it doesn’t release, which means slopes can seem safe when in fact they aren't.
The Ride Hard Ride Safe talks will be taking place in Ellis Brigham stores up and down the country from the 25th October until the 10th of November and the cost is £8 per person. Contact your local store for exact dates.
The third series of avalanche talks are being run by the Ski Club, The North Face and Snow + Rock. These lectures will introduce the key concepts of back-country skiing, such as snowpack layering and avalanche formation, how to recognise avalanche terrain, signs of unstable snow, human factors and safe travel techniques. The lectures will be delivered by James Morland, a Canadian Avalanche Association Level 2 professional with over 15 years experience of avalanche related work.
These events will be taking place in Snow + Rock stores from the 14th to 23rd November and will cost £7 per person. Again check your local store for exact dates.
The avalanche awareness courses are a fantastic way of learning about the mountains and raising awareness of your surroundings and how to enjoy off-piste skiing safely, though these are in no way a replacement for a qualified local guide, who knows the terrain and local weather patterns intimately (and means there is more chance you are covered by your travel insurance!). I will definitely be attending on of the in-store talks.
Written by Stephen Adam
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