Avalanche safety courses in the UK

Henry’s Avalanche Talk (HAT) is back on the ORTOVOX Off-Piste Tour this autumn, with events in 16 venues in England and Scotland. Talks are held in partnership with leading winter sports retailer Ellis Brigham, with a series of transceiver sessions around the country scheduled.

The events are aimed at all skiers and snowboarders looking to venture off-piste or go ski touring: from beginners (as a point of departure) to the more experienced (as a guide to focus on accident reduction) and even for professionals (as a client-training tool and memory aid).

The message of the 2022 talks is how to implement accident reduction measures to prevent being caught in an avalanche, when considering that 90% of all avalanche accidents are caused by the victims. The goal of HAT is to help skiers get the most from their time in the mountains, stay safe and have fun.

The HAT framework for skiers includes the question: ‘Is it safe’? The answer is, ‘it depends on you’.

The framework highlights three areas including the decision making process of ‘where you go’, the risk reduction measures of ‘how you go’ and finally the crisis management scenarios when ‘preparing for rescue’. These kinds of frameworks are used in other areas including the military, aviation and surgery.

“As a former F-16 pilot and United Airlines pilot I strongly believe in Henry’s suggested use of checklists, frameworks and memory aids for all skiers who are going off piste. His disciplined approach has saved numerous lives in the world of aviation and healthcare and will continue to help make skiers safer off-piste and touring”.

Anthony “AB” Bourke, CEO of Mach 2 Air Shows

BOOK HENRY’S AVALANCHE TALK

Henry’s Avalanche Talk (HAT) provides training and essential information for skiers who want to go off piste, but are held back by fear of the unknown. The organisation was founded by Henry Schniewind 25 years ago and has grown into a team of off-piste professionals.