About Off-Piste Mountain Safety Courses

Off-Piste Mountain Safety and Avalanche Awareness courses Meribel

Marmalade Ski School are delighted to be associated with ANENA (Association Nationale pour l’Etude de la Neige et des Avalanches) and to be able to offer their courses for this coming winter season.

Avalanche rescue level 1 :

Goals Be able to search, locate and release a single avalanche victim; Be able to participate effectively in a collective search managed by a leader.

After the training, you will be able to: Put on and wear your equipment correctly and efficiently; Take part in a group Send/Search test; Use the basic functions of your DVA/ARVA/avalanche transceiver; Implement basic actions in the event of an avalanche accident (what to do); Send an alert to rescue professionals; Efficiently search and locate a buried victim in a simple scenario; Free a buried victim using a specific technique.

Level : Beginner.

This training is for anyone who wants to learn about avalanche rescue on their own. The goal is to give people a knowledge on how to use the safety equipment. How to react when a single person is buried and manage the whole process of rescuing (from calling the rescue, releasing and dealing with that person.

This course is designed for people who are not familiar with going off-piste. People who may not have their own equipment. People who have no knowledge or very basic knowledge on how to react in case of an avalanche accident.

Teaching.

The morning is spent learning the fundamentals in a classroom environment. Practising in the form of workshops and finally some simple scenarios in the field.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are necessary for this training.

Training details

• Duration : 1/2 day

• Group size : Max 8 in a group

Avalanche rescue level 2 :

Multi-burial scenarios Goals Be able to manage a simple situation of multiple avalanche burial  ; Be able to organise a rescue of avalanche victims with your group .
After the training, you will be able to:  organise the Emission/Search test for the group; conduct research in a multiple burial situation; implement the conduct to be followed by the group; determine the strategy to adopt in the situation; conduct the rescue operation; organise the collective release of the buried; welcoming professional rescuers;

Level : Intermediate/Advanced.

This training is intended for all those who wish to master a little more the techniques of search, location and release. Also, the organisation of an avalanche rescue in a leading role. The aim is to portray a real scenario  which can, or already has, happened.  Implementing the whole process of rescuing and organising your team when several persons are buried or/and injured.

Designed for people who have done the level 1 or person who know properly how to use their equipment in real conditions.

At the end participant can react properly and organise themselves against a real situation and manage a team during am operation of rescuing from the beginning to the end.

Teaching

Fundamentals top be reviewed in the classroom, then practice in the form of simple and complex scenarios (multi-burial) in the field.

Prerequisites

• Level 1

Be able to at least:

– use the basic functions of his DVA;

– carry and mount their equipment;

– implement basic actions in the event of an avalanche accident;

– effectively search and locate a buried victim in a simple scenario.

Training details

• Duration : 1/2 day

• Group size : Max 8 in a group

Free Ride Level 1

Goals Acquire the basics of avalanche risk management whilst off-piste; Practical snow science and safety on the mountain slopes.

After the training, you will have acquired knowledge and know-how to: analyse an Avalanche Risk Assessment Bulletin; identify unfavourable snow and weather conditions; observe and analyse the different surface conditions of the snowpack; read and interpret unfavourable terrain clues; assess the stability of the snowpack using a simple tool (Nivotest); use simple progression strategies in snowy terrain; communicate basic information and instructions with the group; implement basic actions in the event of an avalanche accident; send an alert to the rescue professionals.

Level : Intermediate.

This training is aimed at all those who wish to improve their knowledge and know-how in order to evolve in greater safety off the secured slopes.

• Design for person who ride off-piste but want to learn more about the snow pack, the avalanche risk and how to behave safely on off-piste days.
• The aim is to understand how an avalanche happened, give you a knowledge on snow pack, avalanche risk, how to take decision and  some simple but useful tips on how to ride with your friends to avoid taking too much risk.
• At the end participant will have understood how avalanche happened, have some knowledge on snow pack evolution through the winter, can recognise the different avalanche risk and can deal with it in order to enjoy the good snow but in safety.

Teaching method

Training mainly on the ground (off-piste area of ​​a resort) combining skiing and practical workshops.

Prerequisites

Autonomous practice of skiing/snowboarding in all snow . Knowledge of your rescue equipment (DVA-probe-shovel).

Be able to at least:

– use the basic functions of his DVA;

– carry and mount their equipment;

Training details

• Duration : 1 day.

• Group size : max 8 participants.