With so many questions surrounding what off-piste skiing really means and where your responsibility starts and ends, especially in light of high profile accidents such as Michael Schumacher’s, anyone considering a ski trip which involves heading off-piste, even right next to the piste - needs to know the facts.
A total of nine talks are taking place across the country during October and November as well as eight ‘beeper training’ (Avalanche Transceiver) sessions on Wimbledon Common, Southampton and Sandbanks, Poole.
Talk venues, held within Ellis Brigham stores, include Manchester, Covent Garden, Bristol, London St Paul’s and Cambridge.
There are two tiers delivered by Henry’s Avalanche Talk and supported by Ortovox, The Ski Club of Great Britain and the resort of Val d’Isère:
The Essentials – a must see talk, full of ‘essential’ information for all off-piste skiers no matter how experienced you are.
Advanced – for those who have already been to the essentials talk at least once.
‘90% of avalanche accidents are triggered by the victim’, says Henry Schniewind of Henry’s Avalanche Talks, a highly regarded expert in snow safety who is delivering all of the presentations on the tour.
‘So as skiers, since we are responsible for triggering the slide, it’s then a. possible and b. essential to figure out how to avoid this risk. Our essentials talks provide a deep and comprehensive view on how to manage these risks and still have fun at the same time’, he says.
The talks last for around one and a half hours and help off-piste skiers understand how to prevent being caught up in an avalanche (and avoid other hazards), how to make the right decisions when skiing off-piste and how to deal with a crisis should the worst happen. Henry helps answer the fundamental questions, ‘is it safe out there?’ He delivers a decision making and risk management formula that will help you understand that riding off-piste doesn’t have to be any more dangerous than the activities you engage with in your normal everyday life.
The advanced talks assume you have attended the essentials talk and are about moving your knowledge on further. Various theories are discussed including, avalanche triggers and helping skiers understand exactly why and where avalanches happen.
Beeper training sessions are an outdoor activity event where participants learn and practice the location of victims buried underneath the snow using the latest transceiver technology that’s worn by anyone venturing off-piste in a European ski resort or backcountry skiing in North America.
Venues and dates >
ORTOVOX AVALANCHE AWARENESS TALKS
October 2014:
29th – Essentials Talk, Ellis Brigham Manchester (19:00 to 20:30)
30th – Advanced Talk, Ellis Brigham Manchester (19:00 to 20:30)
November 2014:
4th – Essentials Talk, Ellis Brigham Covent Garden (20:00 to 21:30)
5th – Advanced Talk, Ellis Brigham Covent Garden (20:00 to 21:30)
6th – Essentials Talk, The Kings Arms (next to Ellis Brigham) Bristol (19:30 to 21:00)
10th – Advanced Talk, The Kings Arms (next to Ellis Brigham) Bristol (19:30 to 21:00)
12th – Essentials Talk, Ellis Brigham London St Paul’s (19:30 to 21:00)
19th – Essentials Talk, Ellis Brigham Cambridge (19:30 to 21:00)
20th – Advanced Talk, Ellis Brigham Cambridge (19:30 to 21:00)
ORTOVOX AVALANCHE AWARENESS BEEPER TRAINING SESSIONS
Wimbledon Windmill, Wimbledon Common – 11.00amSeptember 28th, 2014
October 11th, 2014
October 25th, 2014
November 8th, 2014
November 29th, 2014
Hamble-Le-Rice, Southampton – 11.00am
November 22nd, 2014
Sandbanks Beach Café, Poole – 11.00am
October 6th, 2014
Links for tickets will be available on the following websites > Ellis Brigham, Ski Club of Great Britain and HAT
Tickets can be purchased directly on Eventbrite here > www.henrysavalanchetalk.eventbrite.com
Ticket Prices:
Avalanche Talks > £12.00 per ticket
Beeper Training > £55 for a 1 person booking, £98 for two persons, £45 per person for three persons or more on one booking
