“
imagine your best friend
has just been buried, you’re
trying to locate him in – and negotiate through – slabs of
snow that may be the size of cars as quickly as possible.
When you do find him, you may have to dig through
several feet of snow to get him out.”
Les Des Alpes’ ski patroller Paul Montague is painting a
somewhat vivid picture of what happens when skiers
are caught in an avalanche. Time, he says, is of the
essence. If dug out within 15 minutes, 90% of
people will survive; while their chances
drop to 30% if this rises to 45 minutes.
This might seem like a candidate
for the least jolly holiday activity
of all time – pretending to save a
suffocating loved one from an icy
grave – but it’s a worthwhile one.
Avalanches have always been a hazard
in the Alps – the word actually originated
in the French region of Savoy – but, with the
increasing popularity of off-piste adventures, the
numbers of incidents are on a steep incline.
In an attempt to put a stop to this, the French resort
of Les Deux Alpes has introduced Freeride Attitude, a
free course that teaches avalanche-avoidance
techniques. Held every Tuesday through the season, it
provides avalanche training that would normally cost
the price of a week’s ski pass.
Montague, a Brit who has patrolled the slopes here for
over 20 years, tells our group the two major causes of
death in the Alps: ignorance and arrogance.
“
If you’re heading off-piste, you need to adhere to a
personal checklist every time,” he says. “Have all your
This course
could save
your life
Les Deux Alpes has become the first
resort to offer free avalanche-awareness
lessons.
Alf Alderson
went to investigate
safety gear, check the weather
and avalanche forecast, know
what effect the previous weather
has had on the slopes and do ask ski
patrol for their advice, which they’re
always happy to give. Never assume that it’s
safe to follow other skiers’ tracks when you’re
off-piste – they may be lost – and never go alone.
“
You may consider yourself an expert on
backcountry skiing, but the avalanche that gets you
doesn’t know you’re an expert...” He explains that good
skiers tend to head towards steeper, more challenging
slopes with an angle of between 30 and 45°, which is
exactly the same angle that snow likes to avalanche off.
In the afternoon, we put our new skills and kit –
transceiver, collapsible shovel and probes – to the test
in Les Deux Alpe’s Avalanche Park. Any skier heading
off-piste should be carrying this gear: the transceiver
sends out a signal that allows you to be located quickly
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