5 reasons to avoid avalanche training

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23 October, 2011 - 18:24
#1
Chris Radford
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Joined: 22 Jun 2010
5 reasons to avoid avalanche training

This headline was prompted by my experiences earlier this week in preparing a crew for the Rolex Middle Sea Race. As well as being a keen off-piste skier, From time to time I participate in offshore sail racing which has a similar sense of adventure and is at least as dangerous. Many offshore sailors are also off-piste skiers. The appeal of each sport is similar. But the accident rates differ enormously. In doing the preparation I was struck by the safety training and discipline that is imposed by this sport.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) organises offshore racing involving 5000 - 10000 competitors each year and since 1980 there have been 2 fatalities. The are further events around the world with other clubs with few reported serious accidents. Wheras when I was reading a review of avalanche accidents in France by David George from Piste Hors, , I see there were 29 fatalities in 19 separate incidents last season.

I am unclear on the relative numbers of participants, but the accidents rates seem very different. There are relatively more accidents in off-piste skiing Linked to this there are very different approaches to training as applied by the authorities and participants in each sport. An offshore race team would never go out without at least half of the crew being very experienced and well trained in basic safety. There are courses recognised by ISAF and the RYA and RORC that provide the grounding you need to participate in the sport. Further to that before all major races all boats are inspected by safety inspectors to ensure they have the correct equipment and have established safe procedures. This is not a nanny state approach and does not detract from the sport. Off-shore sailing remains dangerous and exciting.

Yet somehow in off-piste skiing training can be regarded as optional or just for experts and professionals. What are the reasons given?

Don't want to waste valuable skiing time doing boring training?
Too expensive - already spent all my money going skiing
I am going with a guide and they will keep me safe
My friends have been trained and they will look after me
I went to an avalanche talk 4 years ago

At HAT we feel very strongly that all of these and other reasons consitute a hazard not just to the skier but more importantly to their friends who they ski with. Not having the training puts the whole group at risk. Not having the equipment puts your friends at risk. Not knowing how to use the equipment means you are relying on your firends to rescue you, but you are unable to help them if they get into trouble.

It would be great to get your view and your experiences. Please do comment

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24 November, 2011 - 22:44
#2
iamhamilton@yah...
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Joined: 24 Nov 2011
Interesting comparison, and

Interesting comparison, and the other post re 'extreme sports' and recertification raises some interesting points.
I suspect the answer to the first question (sailing v offpiste) is partly money - if you're wealthy enough to own a boat, you're probably smart enough to take some basic training in what to do with it, if only to maintain it's value. (however, a quick read of any of the RNLI literature will tell you that there are some dumb sailors out there!).
Anyone who _races_ their own boat is unlikely to take on an inexperienced crew, as they have a collective responsibility for the whole crew.
What would be interesting would be to compare, for example, the ratio of watersports accidents against numbers of participants AND factor in the cost - I'd wager there are more accidents, as a percentage, of 'airbed' users, than there are yacht owners. That's just economics, and Darwinism, to a degree.

WRT the 'safety training' - do you mean sailing skills (navigation, sail handling); medical (first aid), or 'accident' training (coping with dismasting; loss of power; jury rigging; capsize drill?)

WRT ongoing recert training - I'm not sure the previous post is quite correct- PADI (Scuba) certainly don't mandate 'refreshers', although they are encouraged, and most dive shops will take some steps to verify both the currency, and 'freshness' of a new customer. More economics - mistakes underwater can easily be fatal, and bad for business. I'm pretty sure that it would be possible to buy a paraglider mail-order without any prior training or experience.... and kite-surfing can be nearly as dangerous to the un-trained. Neither, AFAIK, mandate ongoing training.

I think the real reason that skiers don't want to pay for training is that they don't understand the risks.... this is compounded by the typical 'cliff jumping' antics of ski movies, and the generalised and rarely changing Avalanche ratings in resorts (I'd love to see some stats on the number of days at each risk level, and an honest objective assessment of whether those risk levels were accurate, or simply resorts covering _their_ risk from a legal perspective).

At the end of the day, people are free to make their own assessment - but with that comes their responsibilit to others. My partner and I have attended both your and other courses, and we assess the risks as best we are able. On any given day, do I worry about being 'off piste' - no. Should I - possibly, but within the limits of my ability to process the information I have, it's my decision.

keep up the good work
david

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24 October, 2011 - 09:07
#3
tomttom
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Joined: 28 Dec 2010
How Risky is Off Piste Skiing?

Chris, it would be very interesting to hear some stats on how risky off piste skiing is compared to some of these other adventure sports. (eg deaths per 1000 days of sport). I have wanted to think that the risk is reasonably low, especially if you are disciplined and sensible - its scary to think it is much more dangerous than Ocean racing.
for example I was trained in first aid by a BA of Ski Patrollers paramedic, who said the accident rate on mountain biking was 10 to 100 times worse than that for skiers. The Piste Hors stats you quote here say there were 6 incidents last year resulting in fatalities for Off Piste Skiers in France ... I hope that was out of a very large number of off piste skier days. I ski a lot in Val D'Isere and there are always many, many people skiing off piste, every day of the year - including the many (typically teenagers) who venture off piste for 'fun' without much care.
Of course I strongly agree with your central thrust which is we all need more training and need to stay very aware of avalanche risk.

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24 October, 2011 - 06:21
#4
Surrey1
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Joined: 24 Oct 2011
Off Piste and Avalanche Ski Safety

No One should be allowed to ski off piste at a ski resort without regular avalanche and safety training.The recertification should be done yearly.

In many many sports from deep water at depth scuba diving to auto racing to ice and rock climbing certain faces and many more sports one must prove that they are up to date on their qualifications regularly.

To many rescuers, innocents and skiers are put in harms way because of others recklessness. This must stop. Period !

So many lives cut short, so many resourses wasted, so many crippled and so much mayhem because fools don't think they need to be trained how to ski in off piste avalanche territory. This practice must end.

It is that simple and the solution to the problem is as simple as I have outlined in a cursory fashion.

If you can't afford the training and recertification. That is what the trails are for.

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