Snow and avalanche training in Vars (Hautes-Alpes)

Description

Everything you ever wanted to know about skiing safety, but were afraid to ask! That could be the name of this snow and avalanche training day.

Indeed, if you want to become autonomous in your ski touring, increase your off-piste safety, understand what's going on under your skis and make the right decisions, then this day is for you.

This training in the field takes place in Vars in the Hautes-Alpes, and is entirely devoted to the particularities of snow, avalanches and how they work. But also how to use the avalanche beacon-shovel-probe kit, how to manage safety when ski touring and off-piste skiing, and how to manage an avalanche rescue...

To continue your training, I recommend a day of ski touring in the Hautes-Alpes or a weekend of freerando skiing in one of the Hautes-Alpes' ski resorts. Or even, for the more adventurous, this magnificent ski touring trip to Finnmark in Norway.

Program

• Meet at 8am in front of the tourist office in Vars (Hautes-Alpes).
  • Coffee and croissants at the bar, presentation of the day's activities, followed by a theory session on snow and avalanches.
  • Organization of the day.
  • Review of equipment, different avalanche beacons and their particularities, backpacks, setting up avalanche beacons and different ways of checking them.
• Around 9.30am, departure on skis from the Vars ski lifts. We'll take the lifts to ski between workshops and learn about downhill safety.
  • In the field, the day will be punctuated by a lot of skiing and role-playing workshops. Sometimes we'll be static, sometimes very dynamic, and we'll vary the pleasures all day long:
  • Managing the group's safety on ascents and descents: tackling a slope with or without a rope, organizing the group, how to ski the slope, regrouping, managing the schedule...
  • Snow-cutting and interpretation: understanding the transformation of snow, detecting fragile layers, the influence of weather conditions...
  • Recognize objective dangers.
  • Interpreting snow and weather reports.
  • Tools for preparing your outing.
  • Renato's special formwork.
  • Shovelling competition.
  • Probing workshop.
  • Avalanche beacon workshop and single or multi-victim search.
  • The different airbags and how they work.

The program is not exhaustive, but the days are short! The day ends as we began it, with a debriefing over a drink. Handover of a booklet summarizing the points covered during the day. Separation around 6pm.

The price includes

• Supervision by the mountain guide, who is also a ski patroller and a specialist in ski touring and off-piste skiing.
• The guide's lift pass.
• Loan of walkie-talkie.
• Loan of shovel and probe kit if required.

The price does not include

• Transport to Vars resort in the Hautes-Alpes, about one hour and 20 minutes drive from Gap.
• Lift pass.
• Ski equipment.
• Avalanche beacon-shovel-probe kit.
• Personal expenses.
• Picnic lunch.
• Drinks.
• Anything not mentioned in "The price includes".

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