Mountain Safety


Articles and guides to mountain safety training and planning, including information on ISIA Level 3 Mountain Safety and European Mountain Safety modules.

Millet Ski Touring with the Three Sarahs, Alfie and Tullah
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Is Ski Touring Actually Worth It?

How can you justify going uphill when there are perfectly useable lifts? Do you have to wear lycra? Is it really worth it? 
Gordon Porteous looks across the Argentiere Glacier, Chamonix, April 2017

Human Aspects of Avalanche Safety – Planning Ahead

The final part of the series looks at some of the things that we can do to avoid the traps and improve how we operate in the backcountry.
Mandy Martin contemplates the Grand Combin from the Combe de Drône, Bourg St Bernard, March 2018

Human Aspects of Avalanche Safety – Heuristics

Whilst dangers are always present in the mountains, with or without us being there; risks and heuristics traps are things that we create for ourselves.
Marco Furio, behind Mont Fort, Verbier, January 2018

Human Aspects of Avalanche Safety – Terminology

Statistics show that 90% of the people in avalanches have caused those avalanches. But how did those people end up there? David Roberts looks at the role terminology and translation play in assessing avalanche danger.
Rob Wilhelmsson Skiing powder

Avalanche Airbags: How do they work and are they effective?

Airbag backpacks are an expensive thing to buy, so perhaps we should find out how they are supposed to work and if they actually do the job.
Sam Taylor skiing off piste with gap students
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Why do ski instructors need to learn about avalanches?

If anyone ever tells you they know everything about avalanches and the dangers of skiing off-piste, they are sorely mistaken. Its a constant learning process and should be continuously revised and practiced.
Ski Touring Adventures
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Skiing Wild Snow

Why are more and more people choosing to earn their turns? Walking uphill can be hard work, so why not just buy a lift pass and go skiing? Here are a few reasons to go out and enjoy a ski-tour.
Digging a snow pit
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Avalanche Safety Kit

We love an off-piste adventure as much as the next person. But to make these trips as safe as possible we need education on mountain safety and the right avalanche safety equipment.
Huw Thomas & Mischa Wykurz in the Grand Désert, back of Mont Fort, Verbier

Guided Off-Piste Days

There are few things in life better than getting fresh lines on a powder day. When the white stuff is all yours and the mountain is your playground...
Huw Thomas & Mischa Wykurz in the Grand Désert, back of Mont Fort, Verbier
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The BASI Level 4 European Mountain Safety Exam Directory

This blog is intended as a directory of useful links to FREE stuff that will help people to go on safer, more enjoyable, more fun days out on skis in the backcountry.